


The Art of Magecraft

by Themanwithaplan



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, Magic, Political Alliances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-06-02 17:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 84,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19446631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Themanwithaplan/pseuds/Themanwithaplan
Summary: The mageTraditionally, a mage is defined as a person who, through whatever means, has the ability to use magic. As for what magic is, that definition is as broad and diverse as the people and creatures who practice it. Magic can be good or evil, constructive or destructive, functional or useless. Likewise, the type of magic used, as well as the way it is used, determines its practitioner.But what about the mage himself? What does a mage do? What is his/her purpose in the world? Are they just people who use magic? Or are they something more?This novel details the lives of four special children as they learn the art of magecraft. Join them as they make their way through the World As We Know It, come across people, places and creatures wonderful and terrible, hone their skill at magic and, ultimately, learn what it means to be a mage.





	1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE  
A BRAND NEW DAY  
The boy awoke reluctantly, subconsciously wishing his sleep did not have to end so soon. He and his family always woke up at 5 a.m. in the morning to do their chores, that way they could set for the farm at first light, and despite his thirteen years, he had never fully gotten used to it, at least, not like his parents and elder sister.  
“Finn!” A girlish voice yelled from downstairs. “Get your ass down here this instant!”  
“Now you watch your language there, Missy!” yelled another voice, this one belonging to a mature woman.  
“I’m coming Claire!” the boy replied, rubbing his hand on his mouse-brown hair.  
“Just because today's a big day for you doesn’t mean you get to dawdle, boy. Now hurry up!” That, undoubtedly, belonged to his father.  
Finn smiled and jumped out of bed. Today was indeed a big day for him.  
The kingdom of Antheusa was one of the two major kingdoms on the Northern continent, and located in the capital was the kingdom's prize jewel; Antheusa's School of Magic. One of the eight Great Schools of Magic. The school only admitted new students once every four years, and this year, Finn was one of the lucky few to have been admitted after the rigorous entry exams.  
Therefore, today did not start like normal days. After doing his chores, he and his family sat down for one last breakfast before the bus came to take him to the school.  
“Here” said Claire, placing a bowl of boiled potatoes in front of Finn.  
Finn gasped in delight. “No freaking way. These are my favourite!”  
“Darn right they are!” she responded, playfully putting him in a headlock while he was in the middle of chomping down on a potato. “Our little mage needs all his strength.”  
“Quit it, Claire, you’re choking me!” he responded, struggling to get free.  
“That’s quite enough young lady” said their mother, who emerged from the kitchen holding two bowls of steaming hot oatmeal. “Finn won’t get any stronger if you choke him to death.”  
“Okay mom” she replied, letting him go. At 17 years of age, Claire was far too old to take the entry exams, which suited her just fine; she had no intention of becoming a mage.  
“Oh let the girl have her fun” said her father who emerged from the back door. A man in his forties, he had the grizzled, weather-worn appearance of a man who had known nothing but toil his entire life. “It’s not like she’ll be seeing him again in a while.”  
With all four family members finally present at the dining table, the father decided it was time to have a talk. “Son” he began. “Now I know we’ve talked about this before, but I believe I need to say this one more time. You listening, boy?”  
“Yeah I’m listening pa” he responded, swallowing the food in his mouth.  
He continued. “Now, I don’t know much about this mage and magic stuff, but I do know that it’s dangerous. I’ve heard many students never come back.”  
An eerie silence settled on the dining table, but Finn was resolute. “I know, pa. I know how dangerous it is, but it’s what I’ve chosen, and it’s best for all of us.”  
His father sighed. “Look, Finn. I know you feel like you have some sort of responsibility towards us, that you’re doing this because you want to 'improve our financial situation' but I’m telling you that you don’t need to.” He gave a soft smile. “We’re fine as we are. Sure we don’t have much, but we’ll get along, like we always have.”  
“I understand, pa” Finn replied. “but I have to do this. If I have a chance to make our lives better, it’d be wrong not to take it.” He smiled. “I’ll be fine, pa, you’ll see. I’ll become the greatest mage there ever was, and life will be better for all of us.”  
His mother smiled. His resolve was awe inspiring. “Well then” she chimed in “you’d best clean your dish and go freshen up. Your carriage will be here any minute.”  
Finn chuckled. He loved his family, and he wanted to make them proud. That was his reason for becoming a mage.

An hour later, the carriage arrived. It was a long, black and exquisitely designed thing, with four ornate wooden wheels. Most strikingly, however, was the fact that it wasn’t being pulled by anything. In fact, no one seemed to be steering the carriage. Where the driver was supposed to be, a watermelon sized blue orb of light surrounded by three concentric rings rotating on their axis stood. It seemed to be suspended in the air just above a small platform. If one looked closely, a faint string of blue light trickled from the orb and into the platform.  
Finn stared in awe at the thing. Magic powered carriages were not unheard of, but he had never seen one before. The door opened to reveal a man wearing a blue bus boy uniform. “Are you Finnegan Tulip?”  
“Yes!” he replied after a bit of hesitation.  
The man bowed deeply “In that case, please come in.”  
Finn's excitement returned and, with suitcase in hand and his family’s farewell behind him, he boarded the vehicle.  
The first thing he noticed as he stepped in the carriage was the great number of people. The carriage could take up to eighty people and every seat save one at the back was occupied. Finn lived at the outskirts of the capital, so the bus must have gone all around the kingdom to pick up the fresh students before it came here.  
Finn almost fell over when the carriage started moving, and he realized he had been standing and staring in the vehicle for quite some time, such that everyone was beginning to give him weird looks. Regaining his composure, he took the empty seat.  
The journey to the capital would take at least thirty minutes, so everyone on the carriage spent the time chattering ceaselessly amongst themselves- that is, everyone except Finn's neighbour, who simply sat and stared out the window.  
“Hey” Finn chirped, mildly startling the boy beside him. “You excited for this?”  
“Oh, uh, yeah sure” he replied nonchalantly, running his hand through his curly black hair. His large spectacles slightly reflected the light.  
“May I ask your name?” said Finn.  
“It’s Edward” he replied.  
“Finn!” He extended his arm for a handshake, which Edward reluctantly accepted.  
“So, what’s your reason?” Finn continued.  
“Excuse me?”  
“I mean, why do you want to become a mage?”  
Edward hesitated. He had never been asked this question before, even though he already knew the answer.  
“I-I want strength” he said without thinking.  
Finn was slightly taken aback. “Huh?”  
Edward continued, unable to back out now. “I want to get stronger, so that I can achieve my goals.”  
“Goals? What goals?”  
“I don’t wanna talk about it right now” said Edward, effectively ending the conversation. He turned the other way to emphasize his point, and thankfully, Finn respected his decision.

At long last, the carriage finally reached the capital, and for those who had never been to the capital, it was an entirely different world. People moved up and down the street on magic-powered coaches if not on foot. The sound of magic-powered elevators going up and down the giant, Gothic style skyscrapers could be heard all over. Overhead, the wealthy and nobles used magic-powered flying platforms or moving bridges to get around. There were so many people on the sidewalks the ground could barely be seen. Finn had seen all of this before but it didn’t make the experience any less amazing.  
On elevated ground near the heart of the capital stood the Royal Complex, where the Royal family, as well as most of the nobility, lived. The complex on its own was larger than most towns.  
However, situated at the very edge of the capital, surrounded by cottages and rolling fields was the place that enthralled the passengers the most, as well as the place they had all been waiting for; the School of Magic. As large as the Royal Complex, the buildings we’re less ostentatious but far more foreboding. Its grey spires towered above everything around them, almost beckoning onlookers to come towards the school's forbidding walls. Finn looked at the building as the man announced their arrival, excitement and anxiety gripping his heart.  
When they got to the main entrance, they saw that many other people were already present. The carriage came to a stop alongside several other identical carriages. Once they left the vehicle, they we’re instructed to go to the entrance- a gigantic iron gate with two gargoyles perched on either side- and wait for further instructions. Just as they were making their way to the gate, Edward caught sight of something strange; a stage coach completely unlike all the others, parked where all the others were.

A young girl of thirteen exited the strange coach. Whatever she was wearing was completely obscured by a large black, gold embroidered cloak. Her wavy read hair cascaded to her waist. Her left eye was a clear blue, but her right eye was pitch black and over it was a sigil that went all the way down to her right cheek.  
The other two people who disembarked the carriage had the same feature. The first was a woman dressed almost the same save the fact that she was wearing a black scarf over her blonde hair. The second was a stern-looking man with pure white hair cut short.  
“Well, here we are, hon.” Said the woman. “So be careful…and don’t go out at night, it’s dangerous… but try and make some friends… at least the ones who won’t run away from you…oh and don’t forget to brush your teeth…you carried your toothbrush right? Oh, and go to the hospital if you ever feel funny okay? Should I have given you more pocket money? You remember how to activate the protection spells I placed right…”  
“That’s enough, Margaret” said the man reassuringly. “She’s not stupid. She can handle herself. She’s a Blackhound after all.”  
“Thanks dad” said the girl with a chuckle.  
The man knelt down solemnly and touched her cheek. “You take care, okay Lora?”  
“I will dad” she replied.

He woke up with a start, as if jolted from his sleep by an outside force. The king sized bed he slept on was drenched in sweat. Slowly he rose from the bed, feeling like he was inebriated. Occasionally, his vision would warble and distort, and judging from the light filtering in from the curtains, it was well into the day. He cursed silently; a whole day and his body was yet to readjust to the material world.  
With measured steps he walked over to the other side of the room to look at himself in the mirror. Ever since he became a mage, he would strip and look at the mirror just to see how age and magic affected his body, and today was no different, despite its importance. He was fair-skinned, tall and lightly muscled with a beardless face. His electric blue eyes seemed to crackle with barely suppressed power, an effect further enhanced by his lighting bolt-shaped eyebrows. On the other hand, his straight, platinum blonde hair that reached all the way to his feet and swayed softly to the wind gave him a fey, ethereal air. Overall, he rated his appearance today as; not bad for a one hundred and fifty year-old man.  
Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Come in” he said. At that, his personal maid meekly entered the room.  
“Excuse me Lord Zerastra, but the opening ceremony will be starting soon…”  
“I know” he barked, cutting her off mid-sentence. “I will be ready before then. You may leave.”  
Wordlessly and slightly shaken, she bowed deeply and exited the room. Zerastra took a deep breath. A new generation of mages.

All the new students were gathered at the Grand Hall, and with over five hundred students present, the place was jam-packed. Finn barely had any elbow room, but it didn’t stop him from admiring the statue in front of him, which depicted a great bearded man covered in stately robes.  
“That’s Headmaster Archimonde by the way” said the boy standing next to him; a perky looking boy with spiky red hair and hazel eyes.  
Finn gave him a weird look. He already knew who the statue was for, but more importantly, how did he know he was staring at it?  
“He was the person who founded the school, nearly three hundred years ago” he continued flippantly.  
“Yeah, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” said Finn, regaining his wistfulness.  
“Yeah, I guess” he replied nonchalantly.  
Finn was understandably amazed by his response. “You don’t think this is cool?”  
“Well, I guess it might be cool, if I hadn’t seen it a hundred times before.”  
“You’ve been here before!?” exclaimed a shocked Finn.  
The lad chuckled. “Have I been here? I was practically raised here.”  
Finn was completely taken at this point. “W-Wait, do your parents…teach here?”  
“Well…my parents aren’t exactly teachers per se… but they are mages, allied with the kingdom, so they come here from time to time.”  
“That’s so cool” Finn gushed. “Uh, if I may ask, what’s your name?”  
The boy smiled. “The name's George. George Firebrand.”

Anna looked down at the large crowd from the window and groaned in dismay. In her heart, she believed that the school's standards were falling. That, she believed, was the only way so many children could pass the entrance exam.  
“You look awfully glum, Ann” the man said as he entered the room. He wore a long, black, fitted trench coat and his blue-grey hair was tied in a ponytail. He had a long, angular face and his eyes were so narrow it looked like he was constantly squinting. “Relax! Today is a special day! We’re inducting new students.”  
“Yeah, I know” she replied, turning away from the window. “I didn’t think there’d be so goddamned many, though.” Anna was never one for modesty, and her outfit showed it, consisting of nothing but a sleeveless, red crop top and a dangerously short skirt, freely displaying the numerous sigils and runes on her legs, back and arms, each dedicated to a spirit or type of spirit. The fact that she was beautiful didn’t help with her reputation with the public, either. She wore her blonde hair in a bob cut.  
“The hell are you even doing here, Lee?” she continued. “Aren’t you supposed to be giving your speech or whatever?”  
“Actually, that’s why I’m here” Lee replied, pausing a bit before going further. “The Headmaster has decided to give the speech himself.”  
Genuine shock spread across her face. “Are you nuts? He just got back! He can’t do that right now! What we’re you…?”  
“It was his decision” he cut in. She stood completely silent. “Believe me I’m just as shocked as you are, but I believe there’s nothing we can do about it now.”  
Anna sighed resignedly. Once the Headmaster made up his mind, no one could change it. “Fine” she spat. “Just hope nothing weird happens while he’s up there”

All the noise in the Grand Hall was brought to an abrupt halt by the chiming of a large bell. After a few seconds of confused head-turning, everyone’s eyes were firmly focused on the massive verandah at the front of the hall, and the imposing figure dressed in a gold robe with a brown tunic underneath.  
“Is that…” said Finn in a hushed tone.  
“Yeah” George replied. “Headmaster Zerastra. He’s an Archmage.” Finn gulped. That made him one of the most powerful mages in the known world.  
Beside him by the right was Assistant Headmaster Malachi Robin, who wore a white, blue-rimmed cloak. A small, elegantly done braid of his deep blue hair extended just past the ridge of his nose; a symbol of his Gypsy heritage.  
And behind the two of them were the forty-eight other teaching staff of the school, all of whom were accomplished mages.  
“A fine morning to you all!” Zerastra boomed. “And congratulations. Out of the hundreds of thousands of children who took part in the entrance exam, you have been chosen. Soon, the journey to become a mage will begin!”  
An applause rang out, one that took a while to silence.  
“However, and I believe some of you have asked this question to yourselves at one point; what exactly is a mage? What is a mage's purpose in this world?”  
Another pause, accompanied with complete silence. “To the average person, a mage is simply a person who can use magic, but being a mage is more than that! It’s common knowledge that we humans are not alone in this world. The known world is filled with creatures and phenomenon both wonderful and terrible. Things that would uplift us or destroy us. We mages serve as the great buffer between our world and theirs. We are the light that guides mankind through this unknown world and ensure its safety.”  
“Therefore, a mage is several things. As a mage, you are a teacher, a soldier, a healer, a warrior, an adventurer, an inventor and a leader all at once. Ours is the most important and dangerous occupation in the known world. Indeed, many of you may not survive your first few years, but the men and women you see before you have been tried and tested in the waters of experience. They will be your teachers and your guides, and one day, you too will become fully fledged mages. So once again, we wish you a good day and good luck!”  
The applause that followed was deafening. The impression he made was undoubtedly impressive. It was especially so on Finn, Edward, Lora and even George. Their lives as mages were about to begin.  
Or so they thought.


	2. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes have finally been admitted! However, they realize that there is still one more hurdle to cross before becoming actual students, one that could potentially invalidate all their hard work.

Finn flopped on the bed, exhausted by all the excitement of the day. After the Headmaster’s speech, the students were split into male and female groups and were given a tour of the grounds. For him, it was hard to tell which part of the tour was the highlight, because everything was just so amazing.

The first place they visited was the “classroom” grounds. Out of all the buildings there, only one of them resembled a traditional lecture hall. Just beside the hall was the open air “training field” the size of an Olympic stadium which was filled with weird bric-a-bracs like targets that floated in the air on their own, giant chess pieces that moved around, several large urns filled with a strange black substance and, perhaps most strikingly, massive rock golems. The entire entourage gasped in awe when their tour guide- a woman of average height with curly red hair- spoke a single phrase and all the golems came to life.

After that they went to a strange place just south of the training field known as the “Spirit Chamber.” According to the tour guide, this was where students learned how to see, summon and interact with other worldly beings such as demons and fey creatures. The place had the appearance of a giant mausoleum on the outside, but the inside was even more forbidding. The place was divided into two sections separated by a maze. One section was completely dark save for the candles placed at strategic positions. At the centre of the room was a summoning circle the size of a tennis court. The other section, however, resembled a tranquil grotto, complete with lush vegetation and a small spring which emptied into a pond. The walls glittered with precious stones and one student swore she could hear faint singing.

After that, they made their way to the Bestiary. The place was essentially a mini wildlife reserve for special animals and plants that were useful to mages. Students got to feast their eyes on strange creatures such as cockatrices, wood spiders, living slimes, horned frogs the size of bears and even a phoenix. The place they headed to next was, strangely enough, outside the main classroom area alongside the Bestiary, which stood just beside it. This was the Potions and Spells Laboratory, which also served as a hospital. The place was situated far from the classroom area and the dorms because it was where experiments on new spells and potions were carried out.

“But if that’s true” one student questioned “then why is it also a hospital?” The tour guide couldn’t answer that.

The place that stuck out most to Finn, though, was the library, not necessarily because of its grandeur but because of what happened inside. The library itself was amazing, but when one of the students tried to borrow a book, she was denied by the librarian. “These books are for students” he said. “And you’re not students yet, I’m afraid.”

Not students yet. Those words rang constantly in his head for all the time they were in the library. Seeing how awesome the dorms were drowned the thought out a bit, but as he lay on the bottom bunk bed, the experience came back to him. What did he mean by “not students yet?” They passed the entrance exam after all, and they were admitted. What else did they have to do to become students?

“Oh” someone said, startling Finn from his reverie. “George?!” Finn exclaimed. “Yup” he replied. “Guess we’re roommates now, huh?” Finn internally berated himself. Each dorm could accommodate four people, so of course he’d have roommates. He didn’t even consider who his roommates would be, since he had never shared a room with anyone before.

“Looks like the others are here” said George, and true to word, the other two arrived. One of them had almost impossibly glossy blonde hair and blue eyes. He dressed as if he was going to a party and had an air of elitism and pompousness about him. The other person, shockingly, was Edward. Finn was beginning to think that the roommate placement was not done randomly. “It’s awfully rustic, but I guess it will have to do.” Said the blonde. Edward's eyes widened as soon as he lay eyes on Finn, but he didn’t say a word. The blonde clapped his hands twice, and a finely dressed man showed up, carrying his huge suitcase. “You had a Butler carry your stuff here?” said a bemused George. “Why not?” he replied. “I have a Butler, it’s only fair that I use him.” With that, he clapped twice, dismissing the man. George scoffed.

Finn decided now was a better time than any. “Hey George” he blurted. “Are we students yet?” George was mildly taken aback by that question, but he understood where he was coming from. The blonde, however, laughed out loud. “Well, yes and no” he replied. “Let me put it this way. In order to learn magic, you first have to be able to use magic. So until you can use magic, you’re not a mage and you can’t be one…let’s see, it should be here now…”

Finn didn’t quite get what he was saying until a woman walked into the room carrying three cups filled with a strange liquid in a tray. “What’s that?” Edward asked. The woman smiled. “This is a special brew designed to awaken your soul. We call it _hashish_.” “ _Hashish_?” said Edward. “Awaken my…soul?” said Finn. “precisely” said the woman. “You see, magical energy exists all around us. To be able to use magic, your soul has to be able to absorb that energy. The process of gaining that ability is what is referred to as Awakening.” The woman gave a sly grin. “But there’s a catch.” “A…catch?” that word made both Finn and Edward uneasy. George offered to clarify things. “You see, only one in a hundred people actually have the capacity to awaken their souls, and research has proven that Awakening becomes impossible once you’re past sixteen.”

“Exactly” said the woman. “Once you drink this brew, you’ll fall into a deep sleep. Once you wake up, you should have gained the ability to absorb magical energy.” “And if you don’t” Edward asked. “If you don’t, you will be escorted out of the premises, as you can never become a mage. This is the true entrance exam, and it trumps everything else” That was the sentence both Finn and Edward did not want to hear. There was a chance they could never become mages. All their hard work would be rendered invalid. Their dreams dashed. The blonde laughed out loud. “How amusing. I believe it’s only fair that commoners have to have these things explained to them.” He sat down on the bed. “Of course, I don’t have to worry about a thing. My parents are mages, just like their parents before them. Being a mage is in my blood.” Finn was far too shaken to say anything, but not Edward. “Hey” he said. “there are four of us, why only three cups?” “Well” she replied “that’s because one of you is already a mage. Even the blonde was caught off guard. One of them was already a mage, but which one? With a smug smirk, George clenched his right fist, stretched the hand out and opened it, and out came a small, white ball of light.

“No freaking way! You’re a mage already!?” “Well, yeah” Lora replied, chuckling bashfully. “Well, it’s not unheard of for people to awaken on their own, especially for a member of the Grigori such as yourself, Lora” said the old man who had brought the hashish to their room. “So, when did it happen?” asked another of her roommates. “Truthfully, I’m not sure” she replied. “I guess I’ve always had magic.”

Her roommates were understandably amazed, all except one. “Well of course she was born with magic. She’s a witch after all” she said dismissively, brushing back a grey-coloured bang. Lora winced at that. “Hey! Watch your tongue, lass!” the old man snapped. “That language is not allowed here, you understand?” “What?” she responded flippantly. “It’s not like I’m wrong. She is a witch, after all.”

“Asoka” another roommate cautioned. Asoka scoffed. “Fine.” She turned to the old man. “So when are we supposed to drink this?” “Before you go to bed” he replied courteously, a complete turnaround from his stern demeanour just a while ago. “You must drink everything, and once you’re through, you will fall asleep within minutes.” They all nodded in assent. “Good. I’ll be leaving you alone now. Good luck.”

The girls didn’t say a word until they we’re sure he had gone a considerable distance. “So, this is it, huh?” said one of the girls. Her nervousness rang clearly in her voice. “Whatever” Asoka scoffed, then carried her cup. “I’m going to the common room. You coming with?” “Why would you go there at a time like this?” Lora asked. “Because your bad luck, that’s why.” That statement hurt more than she thought it would. “So are you coming with me?” she asked the rest. “The further we are from her the better our chances.” “But doesn’t the place get locked up at night?” asked another girl. “If the dorm mistress sees you…” “She’ll have to carry my sleeping body somewhere else” she cut in with a smirk. “So are you coming or not?” Finally tired of her roommate's indecision, she decided to go on her own. “Fine then” she said as she went through the door. “but don’t come crying to me when you don’t awaken.”

Alright, this is it Finn chimed mentally. This’ll determine whether I can make my dream a reality or not. He wouldn’t tell anyone, but the fact that he might not ever become a mage made his stomach churn so badly he felt like he would throw up and faint at any second, but this was no time for doubt. He would simply have to do it. So, mouthing a silent prayer, he downed the entire brew in one go. It tasted strong, but not particularly sour. Following his lead, the other two drank theirs. “Bleh” the blonde spat. “It’s disgusting.”

“So, what now” Edward asked George. “Uh, I dunno. Just wait, I guess.” The blonde flopped on his bed. “Man, I wonder what kind of magic I’ll get.” “Magic doesn’t work that way, pal” George jabbed. “Even if you’re able to use magic, you actually need to learn how to use it.” “Whatever man. It was a joke” he replied, then yawned loudly. “So, what will you be doing?” Edward asked drowsily. The brew was beginning to take effect. “I'll be heading out” he responded. “I’ll lock the door after me, if you don’t mind.” “S-Sure thing” said Edward, getting on the bed. He could barely keep his eyes open. The last thing he heard before he drifted off was the sound of the door being locked.

_The boy found himself in a grassy plain, walking towards an unknown destination. He stopped for a while to try and, at the very least, figure out where he was, but all he saw, no matter which direction he turned, was a sea of grass as far as the eye could see._

_So he kept on walking forward, wherever forward was, until he came upon what seemed like a fairly large farming hamlet. Strangely overjoyed at the sight of any kind of civilization, he broke into a run. He ran for what seemed like hours, but the place didn’t seem to be getting any closer. Nevertheless, he kept on running._

_Then suddenly, the place caught fire, but this was no ordinary fire caused by an accident, hooligans or even natural causes like lighting. No, it was as if the fires of hell itself had risen up and devoured the place. The fire raged so intensely he could feel the heat where he was standing. From the flame rose a pillar of smoke so great it almost completely blanketed out the sun. And even from where he was, he could hear the screams of agony. His run became a full-blown sprint, and before he knew it, he was in the middle of the flaming hamlet._

_Smoke filled his lungs and the embers blinded him, but in spite of all that, he still found the strength to scream; a loud, painful scream as a horrible memory from his past replayed itself right before his eyes; the memory of his whole world burning. Then the ground below him gave out, and he fell, and fell, and kept falling He did not feel fear, even though he had fallen quite a bit, and his fall showed no sign of ending soon, instead, all he felt was deep, crushing despair. He had lost everything in the flame, and there was no way he could get it back._

_But as he was falling, he saw a light beside him, a small orb of light that seemed to be falling alongside him, and it was getting dimmer. That was when it hit him. Everything had been taken from him, but he could take it back, by taking his revenge on the monster who did it, as well as his whole kind, and to do that, he needed power. So, without even thinking, he reached out and grasped the fading light, and everything faded to white_.

Edward woke up with a gasp. He looked around confusedly, trying to recollect everything that had happened before he slept. He remembered he had a very vivid dream, but, try as he may, he could not remember a single detail. What he did know, deep in his soul, was that something had changed inside of him. Slowly, he raised his left hand in front of him and unclenched it, a small orb of white light appeared, floating just above his palm.

“Took you long enough” Edward turned to see who said that; the culprit was a beaming Finn, holding the same glowing orb in his right hand. “We made it Ed. We made it.”


	3. The Fundamentals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having Awakened, our heroes can finally start learning the basics of magehood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main purpose of this chapter is to provide some exposition on the magic system, so sorry if it feels a bit lacking in action. Hope you enjoy!

  
Edward gave a loud sigh, equal parts relieved and triumphant. His journey to magehood could finally begin in earnest.

 _I did it,_ he chanted internally. _I did it._

The sound of the door opening brought him back to reality. “So, how’d it go?” George asked. Finn and Edward responded by showing him the light. George smiled. “I guess this means we’re finally roommates, for real this time… but what about him?”

It took Finn a few seconds more to realize that he was referring to the blonde kid, who had yet to wake up. As if on cue, he opened his eyes slowly and raised his head.

“So, did you make it?” Finn asked enthusiastically.

“H-Huh?” he responded drowsily, obviously not fully awake yet. “I dunno… I guess I did.”

“Uh, okay” said Finn, not convinced with his response. “Oh, that’s right! Can you do this?” then he produced the orb of light from his left hand. The blonde, seeing his demonstration, clenched his fist in front of him and unclenched it

And nothing happened.

He did the same thing with his other hand, and the result was the same. His eyes became filled with despair. “I think mine is broken.”

“Sorry man” said George nonchalantly. “You didn’t make it.”

“That’s ridiculous” the blonde retorted sharply. “There’s no way I’m not a mage. My parents are mages, and their parents before them…”

“But not you” George replied.

“SHUT UP!” he snapped, shocking Finn and Edward. “I’m a mage! I am a mage! I- I just need time…”

_Attention all students._

The announcement boomed into the room, taking everyone by surprise. No one could even guess where the sound came from. _You are to assemble at the Grand Hall at 0800 hours. Congratulations on your Awakening!_

“0800 hours… that’s an hour away!”

“Then we better get ready” said George. Then he turned to the blonde. “What about you?”

“I just need time…”

George gave a worried sigh. He almost wanted to drag him out of the room, but he really didn’t feel like going through all that trouble at the moment.

“Okay then. We’ll be off.”

  
Meanwhile, in the girl’s dorm, the dorm mistress walked into the room to see Lora in the middle of the room, panting, while two of her roommates lay unconscious on the floor.

“My goodness” she gasped. “What happened?”

“It… it wasn’t my fault” said Lora in-between gasps.

“Calm down, girl” said the mistress reassuringly as she embraced her protectively. “Now tell me what happened.”  
And so she did. She told her how, as she woke up, she saw her two roommates standing around dejectedly. How, as soon as they lay eyes on her, they pounced on her, yelling about how she stole their magic. She showed the woman the cut on her neck that came from one of them almost stabbing her with a hairpin. Finally, she told her how, using Elemental magic, she knocked them both out with powerful blasts of wind, shortly after which she entered the room.

“I tried to warn them” said Asoka, whom Lora had not even realized had entered the room. “Witches are bad luck. It’s a good thing I left when I did, otherwise I’d be one of them."

Tears began to fall from Lora's eyes. “Now child” said the mistress, trying to comfort her. “This wasn’t your fault” she turned angrily towards Asoka “despite what others may think.”

Soon after, the announcement came to them. “You should both get ready.” The mistress chirped “and try to get along, will you? The two of you are going to be sharing this room until you graduate, so it’s best for the both of you. When those two wake up, pass the message to them.” 

With that, the dorm mistress made to leave, but not before giving one final instruction. “I don’t want any more ruckus from this room, is that clear?”

“Yes ma’am” they replied in unison.

“Good”

Lora wanted to say something to Asoka, but the venomous glare she gave her quickly quelled that thought. She almost started crying again.

  
“So George, when did you become a mage?”  
“Actually, it was only a few months before the entrance exam.”

Finn and George decided to spend the time it took to get to the Hall chatting amongst each other. Edward simply walked silently beside them, happy with the fact that he was now a mage. All around them, other students moved in pairs, chatting merrily amongst themselves.

Of course, as Edward noticed, much more people were either ranting to other students about the unfairness of it all or just brooding silently. Some we’re just walking forward, their faces blank and listless, like zombies or people who had lost all purpose in life.

“Hey, guys look.” The others turned in unison to see what George was pointing out, and they stopped in their tracks as soon as they did. It was an owl, bigger than any owl any of them had ever seen, bigger than any owl had any right to be. It was as tall as a person, and its left wing was outstretched, as if it was guiding them. Stranger still was the fact that some people were following the owl's direction.

“What the heck is that?” Finn asked.

“I’m not sure” said George. “Hey” he said to another student walking by herself. “Can you see this giant owl thing?”

“What? What’re you talking about? Get away from me!” she responded, after which she scurried off.

“Well that was awfully rude” Finn snorted.

“I see” said George. “It would seem only people who Awakened can see the owl, meaning it was conjured by some sort of spell.”

“Oh” said Finn, the light of realization dawning on him. “Wait a minute, what if a non-mage just walks in anyway?”

George shrugged. He didn’t quite know the answer to that.

“I guess they probably have other fail-safes in place” Edward replied.

“Oh, well that makes sense” said Finn, a twinge of sadness in his features. He quickly shrugged it off, however, and replaced it with a grin of determination.

“Alright. Let’s go”

  
Anna cast her gaze on the crowd of students in front of her, her expression cold as stone as she waited for the message she wanted to hear. Soon enough she could feel the presence of her little messenger- a tiny Ifrit- at the back of her mind.

“So, how many?” she said via telepathy to the spirit.

“Exactly one hundred and fifty students, milady” it replied coyly.

She smirked. That was less than a quarter of the students who were admitted. Less brats to deal with.

“So small compared to yesterday, don’t you think?” said the student’s former tour guide from behind.

“You tell me, Ember” Anna replied smugly. “This is less than a quarter of the previous number.”

Ember sighed. “Well, it was to be expected.” And with that, she gave an extremely loud whistle that silenced the restless crowd.  
“Alright, everyone, listen up. You are all novice mages now. Forget all those other losers; they didn’t Awaken, so they aren’t your problem anymore. For the next four years we’re going to shape you into real mages. It’s gonna be tough, but you can leave anytime you want to. So while you’re here, you either put up or get lost! Got it?”

Everyone responded in unison, a bit shakily, admittedly.

“Good. Now go to your dorms, and have a great rest of the day. The real fun begins tomorrow.

The hall emptied in under a minute.

“Lovely speech there” Anna jabbed.

“Why thank you” Ember replied, ignoring her mockery.

  
The dorm master was a tall, burly man with a fearsome visage. Seeing his scarred, unsmiling face was enough to scare most of the male students into their rooms. The ones who were bold enough to defy him even after a stern reprimand quickly lost their nerve when he lifted them up by the collar with one hand. He was about to do the same thing to Finn, George and Edward when he saw them just outside their room, but gave pause when he saw the shock on their faces.

“What’s going on here?” he barked. He became truly concerned when none of them reacted to that. He figured that what they were looking at was truly shocking, so he decided to look for himself.

“Oh my God” he gasped.

Inside the room, still dressed in his finery, was the blonde kid. Judging by his appearance, he had been hanging by the neck for at least an hour. His body had already gone stiff and his face was frozen in a state of shock, hinting that his death was long and painful. The scarf that he used to hang himself suddenly snapped, unable to take his weight any longer, sending his lifeless body to the ground. The sight almost made Finn retch.

“You three, go to the common room” said the dorm master in a hushed tone. “l will get the infirmary” he cast a sad glance at the corpse “and his family.”

  
Several of the teachers were gathered in a large room, sitting at a long table. At the head of the table was Headmaster Zerastra. Standing beside him was the Assistant Headmaster Malachi. At the other end of the table stood the dorm master and mistress. Despite the fact that today marked the beginning of the academic year, the mood in the room was sullen, as it was every year.

“So” Zerastra began “how many?”

“Fifteen suicide attempts” the mistress responded “of which four were successful.”

“Eight of those attempts were by nobles” the dorm master continued. “That includes all four successful attempts.”

“Well that’s just perfect” Ember ranted. “As if there wasn’t enough bad blood between us and the nobility.”

“That’s quite enough, Ember” Lee berated.

“Still, that’s an awful lot of suicide attempts. That’s like, almost twice as much as last time.” That came from Zober, a tall, burly and dark-skinned man with long dreadlocks and a goatee. Unlike most of his peers, he wore a simple green sleeveless shirt with brown trousers.

“I know. I wish there was something we could do about it.” That came from Cassandra, the youngest teacher in the school, just nineteen years old. She wore a simple black gown which further accentuated her youth. Her Dusty blond hair was done in a bun and covered almost completely by her witch's hat.

“Regardless” Zerastra cut in “we will proceed as usual.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them. “Zober, Cassandra?”

Both of them indicated their attention. “The two of you will be in charge of the students for today.”

“R-Really?” said a flustered Cassandra. “B-But I’ve never…”

“Relax” said Zober reassuringly. “That’s why you’re tagging along with me. It’ll be fine.”

“Alright then” Zerastra continued. “In the absence of anything else, you are all excused.”

  
The events of yesterday shook Finn much more than he would have liked. Even now, in the enormous classroom surrounded by noisy students, the image of the dead blonde wouldn’t leave his head. In his defense, he could never handle death well. He cried for days when his pet dog died when he was eleven.

“You okay man?” that came from George. Edward was just beside him.

Finn sighed. “No, not really.”

“It was pretty jarring for me too” said Edward “but I believe we should simply move on.”

“Move on?”

“Yeah” George's eyes darkened. “When someone you know dies, mourning is useless. All you can do is try to do right by them.”

“But we didn’t really know him, did we?” said Edward.

George was about to retort, but before he could, the hall suddenly became silent, alerting him to the presence of the two teachers that had entered the class.

“Hello, little ones” Zober chimed. “I’m sure you’re all excited to be learning about magic. Before you do, though, there are a few things that you need to know; some background knowledge, to put it succinctly. My name is Zober and this is my partner Cassandra, and we’re here to teach you the fundamentals.”

  
Alright. I suppose I should start with the tiers of magic. I believe that is the easiest part. There are five tiers, called the first, second, third, fourth and fifth tiers. Each Path of Magic is divided into these tiers which connote the level of mastery in the path. The first two tiers are called the **Beginner** tiers. The third and fourth tiers are called the **Advanced** tiers while the fifth tier is called the **Master** tier, the highest tier.

There is also a tier above master, called the **Archmage** tier. We’ll get back to that later.  
The next thing we will talk about is perhaps the most important part. Magic has a wide variety of uses and can do a whole lot of things. We’ve condensed all these things into what we refer to as the **Paths of Magic.** There are seven Paths, and although each one has a specific identity, they have a wide variety of uses. The Paths of Magic are as follows;

 **Elemental Magic** allows its user to control the four basic elements, namely fire, water, earth and wind. Though it is possible to master all the elements, most people specialize on just one or two elements. Masters of Elemental Magic almost seem to become the elements they have mastered, if they specialized in one.

Most mages learn this Path first thanks to the immediate destructive power it brings.

 **Spatial Magic** grants the ability to manipulate space- be it the space between two objects or the area in which something exists. A Beginner in Spatial Magic would be capable of such things as short distance teleportation-a few feet at most, pulling close objects towards you by removing the space between you and it, and magical scrying, which, in my opinion, is the most underrated spell ever.

An Advanced user would be able to create portals leading to anywhere in the world she has been, or just instantly teleport there with a thought. He could even create a spatial distortion to keep things or trap people inside. It’s called the Invisible Room spell. This is also the level where mage can summon things that aren’t spirits.

A Master would be able to do particularly spectacular things like create entire pocket dimensions, summon entire locations and teleport to another plane of existence. You never truly appreciate the power of Spatial Magic until you see a Master summon a castle or a desert out of nowhere.

 **Mind Magic** gives its user power over the mind, be it his mind or another’s. A Beginner would be capable of small things like enhancing their mental capacity slightly or improving their senses. An Advanced user would have more standard psychic powers; telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, creating illusions, you name it. A Master would be able to do really terrifying things like completely destroy-or recreate- a person's psyche or bring illusions into temporary reality.

 **Nature Magic** confers upon its user power over the natural world; flora, fauna and everything associated with those. It can even be used to advance one’s own body. If you see a mage that’s older than he looks, it’s most likely the work of Nature Magic.

A Beginner can only do simple stuff like make an animal familiar, change some superficial aspect of their appearance, like their hair or eye colour, or do the same thing to other animals and plants. An Advanced user, on the other hand, can do all sorts of things like change their skeletal or cellular composition, make forests bloom out of nowhere, call whole hordes of animals and even subdue magical beasts like Gryphons. Masters can do things like transform their bodies on a genetic level, bestow a living organism with immense vitality- or take it away. Masters of Nature Magic have been known to create completely new species, or wipe out existing species by creating a new pathogen. Do not underestimate Nature Magic.  
Did I forget to mention that it can also be used to heal? Yeah, that’s important.

 **Spirit Magic** gives its user power over immaterial beings, namely angels, demons and fey spirits. This is one of the most valuable Paths because of just how versatile it is.

To be able to control and summon spirits, you first need to be able to interact with them. This is what you learn in the Beginner tiers; how to see, touch and communicate with spirits.

At the Advanced level, practitioners gain the ability to summon and bind spirits. At first they can only summon weak spirits, but they begin to summon stronger entities as they get better. At this stage, the practitioner also learns spells designed specifically to harm immaterial beings.

A Master can summon the strongest spirits, literal forces of nature. A Master can even travel into the spirit world.  
Before you ask, no. You can’t travel to Hell or the Underworld with Spirit Magic; well, you can, but there’s no guarantee that you will ever come back.

 **Alchemy** is my favourite Path. Sure Nature Magic let’s you control life, but Alchemy lets you control everything else. With Alchemy, you can control the chemical and physical properties of any natural substance.

Even the Beginner powers are awesome. Sure it only let’s you make superficial changes like make steel softer or water hotter, but think of all the possibilities! An Advanced user can go even further, changing the boiling or freezing temperature of water, creating crystals that grow, or turns ng your clothes into a weapon! My favourite spell is my “Tin Soldiers” made of a special poisonous substance that reacts to magical energy.

And when you get to the Master level, your power over substance is complete, as you change anything's chemical composition on a molecular level. Most people tend to underestimate the power of a Master, until he turns the ground you stand on into lava or the air you breathe into poisonous gas. Alchemy becomes even scarier when you realize that, fundamentally, everything is a chemical.

Last, and definitely not the least, is **Arcane** **Magic**. While the other Paths give you control over other things, be it nature, space, the mind, the elements and so on, Arcane Magic grants its user power over magic itself. This Path allows its user to manipulate raw magical energy and use it to affect the world directly.

The two most common uses of Arcane Magic are Counter magic and Boost magic. If you fully understand the makeup of a spell, you can use Arcane Magic to either alter, disrupt or completely unravel it. You can also combine it with another Path spell to improve the spell's power or longevity. As such, these are some of the first things you’ll learn.  
When used by Advanced users and Masters, however, it becomes a truly terrifying force. Since magic permeates not just all physical things, but even non-physical concepts like time, fate, probability, fortune, yin, yang and the like, they have power over all these things as well. Arcane Magic is the most powerful Path, as well as the most difficult to learn.

At this point, Zober could see that he was beginning to lose the class's interest, so he decided to round things up.

Alright, how about we close off with one last thing; the Ranks. What they do is simply show how advanced you are in the mystic arts. Each rank requires you to meet certain minimum standards. Right now, most of you are unranked, but you’ll receive ranks once you meet the following requirements:

 **Initiate** is the first rank and to achieve this rank you must have at least reached the first tier in all seven Paths.

 **Initiate Major** requires that, along with the conditions for Initiate, you must have achieved the second tier in at least four Paths.

 **Adept** is the third rank and to get it you must have reached the second tier in all seven Paths and the third tier in at least three. Cassandra here is an Adept

 **Adept Major** is the fourth rank. To achieve this you must have reached the third rank in at least six Paths and the fourth rank in at least two. Yours Truly is an Adept Major.

The fifth and final rank is the **Master** rank, which belongs to those who have reached the pinnacle of human mastery. To qualify, you must have at least reached the third rank in all the Paths and the fifth rank in at least one, in addition to the requirements for the previous rank, of course.

There is also a special sixth “rank” which is not so much a rank as it is a state of being, the rank of **Archmaster**. What is it about, you ask? Well, if a Master has reached the pinnacle of human mastery, the Archmaster has gone beyond that. An Archmage has gone beyond the scope of mankind and approaches the Divine.

Zober stretched. “Well, that’s all for today kids. Have a nice day, you are dismissed.”


	4. The Grigori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, our heroes learn the history of the Grigori, as well as Lora's motivation.

  
George chafed under his cape; a blue cape with the Antheusa Coat of Arms emblazoned boldly in gold at the back. The sun beat down mercilessly on him and the other students who had gathered on the training field for their first lesson on spellcasting. They were starting with one of the simplest spells; the Fireball.

“Magic requires two things; focus and knowledge” Ember lectured the class, circling Finn, whose outstretched arm was pointed towards a target. “It’s not enough to just imagine a fireball, you’ve got to know how that fireball will come to be. How’s the fire gonna start, how is it going to stay in the shape of a sphere, how will you launch it from your hand? Envision that scenario, ask those questions, and answer them with magic.” She turned to Finn. “Got that pal?”  
Finn’s features were strained, wholly focused as he was on the task of producing a fireball.

“You look like you’re trying to hold in a fart” said Ember to him, then she slapped him hard on the back.

“Ow!” he complained.

“You’re concentrating too much” said she.

“The key to spellcasting isn’t concentration- though it’s important too. The key is visualization. Try to envision how the spell will come out, then will it into existence with your magic.”

Finn tried again, trying to follow her advice. Come on, Finn he said to himself. Visualize. You can do it.

Then, almost miraculously, a ball of fire the size of a basketball appeared in his hand.

Finn’s eyes widened in ecstatic disbelief. “I-I did it. I DID IT! I DID IT!”

In his excitement, the ball flew out of his hand, exploding as it hit the floor near Ember.

“Maybe we’ll work on your aim next time” said Ember sardonically.

“Yeah, sure” an abashed Finn responded. The class erupted in laughter.

By the time the class was over, almost everyone had learnt the Fireball spell. George, in particular, mastered it with almost no effort.

“That was amazing” said Asoka, who was among the group of students who had flocked around George after the class.

“Thanks, it was no big deal” he replied half-heartedly, sincerely enjoying his ego being stroked. “After all, I have had magic for a while now.”

At that point, something caught his eyes that brought him back to reality. It was Ember talking privately with Lora, who wore her usual black, gold embroidered cloak.

“Uh, hey” George blurted, trying to get the teacher’s attention while pulling away from the crowd.

“Can I help you?” Ember asked. “You wanna speak with Lora?”

“Well, sorta” he replied. “I noticed she wasn’t with us today.” By now the crowd ‘s attention was now on the three of them.

“Oh yeah, about that” said Ember, smiling. “Lora’s already gone far beyond what you guys are doing. Not only is she an Initiate already, she’s well on her way to the second rank.”

This time, George was among the people standing in awe and disbelief. “No freaking way! Is that true?”

Lora turned away, mildly embarrassed. “Well, you could say that.”

“Cassandra, one of the teachers, became an Adept at the age of seventeen; the youngest in the school’s history” Ember continued.

“She’s considered a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy, but it looks like Lora might even surpass that record.”

While everyone else was swooning over Lora’s feat, Asoka audibly scoffed. “Who cares what she did?” she crooned. “She’s a witch. She doesn’t count.”

“There’s no need for that now, is there?” said George.

“But it’s true” Asoka pushed. “All Grigori are born with magic; it’s in their blood. Their parents make pacts with demons to give their children magic. That’s why they have those weird marks on their eyes. It’s a fact.”

“Hey, none of that’s true!” said a peeved Lora.

Unfortunately, some of the other students agreed with Asoka's postulation, evinced by their murmuring; after all, Lora _was_ a witch- a member of the Grigori family.

“And where exactly did you get those ‘facts'?” George jabbed. “Did you read them up, or someone else told you? Maybe another Grigori, or is it just something you heard from some random hack?”

“That’s enough you two” Ember barked.

“Class is over. Go back to the classroom, got it?”

Asoka grimaced. “Yes ma’am”

“Yes” said George.

“The same goes for all of you guys, otherwise you’ll be spending the rest of the day as a frog. Got that?”

Everyone responded affirmatively.

As the crowd began to disperse, Lora decided it was the best time to thank George.

“Hey” she said, catching his attention.

“Thanks for standing up for me earlier.”

“Don’t sweat it” he responded, then extended a hand. “The name’s George.”

She happily accepted it. “Mine’s Lora… though you already know that.”

“And these guys are my friends… hey, Finn, Ed. Over here!”

The two of them, who were having a conversation at the time, decided to come over once they saw him talking to Lora.

“These are my roomies, Finn and Edward.”

“Nice to meet you” said Lora to them both.

“Same” said Edward.

“Are you really an Initiate already? When did you become a mage? No... When did you learn magic?” asked Finn, the excitement and awe in his voice hard to miss.

“Well, y-yeah, uh…”

“Enough with the prying questions, Finn” George chided. “Hey, I have an idea. How about you tag along with us in the town outing tomorrow? Unless, of course, you have other plans for tomorrow.”

“Oh- oh no, it’s fine. I can make it” she responded.

“Alright then” Finn chirped. “The four of us it is.”

  
The Town Outing was something that only happened once a month, wherein the students were allowed to spend the day in the city’s Downtown area, under the discreet supervision of their teachers, of course. The vast majority of the students look forward to this day, as the weirdness of the school could wear on the mind. Indeed, the whole reason this practice was created by Zerastra was to regulate the students' mental health.

“Come on, we’re almost there!” George said, egging on his three companions as they made their way through a street bustling with pedestrians.

“Could you slow down a bit” Finn complained, completely out of his depth in a crowd as busy as this.

“Where are we even going?” Edward asked.  
Lora said nothing, simply going with the flow.

“We’re here” said an excited George. “Here” turned out to be a small but picturesque restaurant. Just above the entrance was a sign that said “The Mother’s Hearth” which, Lora presumed, was the name of the establishment.

“Uh, I don’t think we’re allowed to drink” said Finn.

“It’s a restaurant, not a tavern” George retorted. “My uncle would bring me here every day when I was younger. They served the best steaks ever.” Finn noted the twinge of nostalgia in his voice.

“Okay, you guys wait inside” George said. “I wanna go see the manager.” And with that he dashed inside.

“See the manager?” Edward said, befuddled.

“Maybe they know each other” said Lora.

“He did say he used to visit this place a lot” Finn added. “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go in!”

The place was a lot larger than they had assumed it would be, not to mention it was packed. Six comely waitresses buzzed around the place, taking orders and delivering dishes to customers. They could barely see what was happening in the upper floor, due to it being dimly lit. Just beside the counter, they spotted George talking to a man who looked like he had spent his entire life chopping ham and eating it too. He seemed like a jovial person, judging by the way he was talking to George.

“Oh, there they are” said George, pointing out his friends. “Hey guys! Over here!”

They could barely hear him over the din, but hear him they did, so they came over. “These are the guys I was talking about.”

“The name’s Roy” said the burly man with a smile. “I’m the bub who runs this here establishment. How y’all doing?”

“We’re great” Finn replied on behalf of all three of them.

“Roy has decided to give us a special treat” said George, excitedly. “Today, we get to stay at the VIP section!”

Even though they didn’t know where the VIP section was or what it was like, it still sounded amazing.

“Thanks so much for the gesture” said Lora, bowing deeply.

“Don’t sweat it kids” he replied with a chuckle, then he noticed Lora’s eye.

“Alright then, we’ll be off” George chirped. “I’ll let you know once we’ve made our orders.” And with that, they left.

The VIP section, as it turned out, was the upper floor, and due to the design of the place, all the noise and heat did not reach there. The tables were larger and ornately designed, and the magic-powered lights, though dim, gave the place a surreal appearance.

Another notable thing was that George and his friends were the only ones there. It didn’t seem like anyone had even used the place today.

“Looks like we’re the only ones here” Edward remarked.

“Yeah, it looks like it” George echoed. “Hey, so how about we make our orders. I’ll give them to Roy personally.”

“Wait a minute” Finn interjected. “Shouldn’t we call a waitress or something? Y’know, to get the menus?”

Edward and George looked at him confusedly. It was Lora who quietly reminded him that the menus were on the table.

“Oh, so that’s what those small books are” Finn remarked. They all had a good laugh out of that.

  
“It has been a while since he left” Lora remarked. George had taken their orders and left, but almost ten minutes later, he wasn’t back.

“I know right?” Finn complained. “I’m hungry.”

“Maybe he’s waiting for the food to warm up?” Edward opined.

“If that were true, he’d have told us” Finn added, then got up. “We should go see what’s going on.”

“Agreed” said Edward. “We should go make sure he’s okay.”

“I’m coming too” said Lora, inwardly hoping that the hold up wasn’t because of what she thought it was.

When they got to the counter, what they saw surprised them; it was George glaring angrily at Roy, who wore a stern expression on his face.

“Hey, what is going on?” Edward asked.

“What’s going on?” George snapped angrily, surprising Ed. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. The waitresses won’t serve us, and when I complained to Roy, he agreed with them.”

Roy sighed. “You’re getting it wrong, boy. It’s not that we don’t want to serve you, it’s that we don’t want to serve her.” He pointed a meaty finger at Lora, and her heart sank.

“Sorry George but we simply can’t be seen serving a witch. Do you know what that would do to my reputation?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finn barked.

“Look around you, kid” he responded.

At first, they didn’t know what he was talking about, but soon enough they did. Amidst all the playful banter and the loud discussions, they could see the weird, dismissive stares people were giving them- or more accurately, her.

“Now look. I don’t mind serving mages, in fact, I’ve had mages all the time” Roy continued. “but no witches or warlocks. Of course I’ll still serve you if she leaves.”  
George was about to say something, but Lora cut him off before he could. “Guys” she began. “It’s okay. I’ll just leave” She tried to smile, to try and at least put them at ease.

“No” said George. “We came here together. If you’re not gonna serve all of us, then we’ll take our food to go!”

“Fine then. Have it your way” replied Roy.

  
“Sorry about that. He's not usually like that” said George. 

“It’s okay, George” she replied.

The four of them had decided to have their meal on a public bench. It was, admittedly, far less swanky than a VIP reserved area, but they didn’t mind it much, especially since the food was great.

“Man, these ribs are _perfect_!” Finn chirped.

“My mom made some once in a while, but they weren’t nearly as good as this!”

“Yeah, the food is great” Edward echoed.

“Too bad the manager wasn’t.”

“Yeah, that’s true” said Finn, his face stuffed with meat. He continued talking after he washed down his food with some homemade orange juice. “Why do people dislike you so much? Is it because of that mark on your right eye?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it” she replied sorrowfully.

“It’s kinda weird when you think about it” said George after swallowing a piece of steak. “I mean, her ancestors saved the world, so, like, it makes no sense why people hate them.”

“I’m afraid it’s a lot more complicated than that.”

It took the three boys a while to figure out who said that, but Lora instantly recognized the voice. Standing just behind their bench was a fairly tall man of slender build wearing the exact same cloak Lora was. His pale blonde hair was cut to the base of his neck, which did little for his almost feminine face. He wore a soft smile and just like Lora, his right eye was black, and had a strange sigil across it.

“Hans!” Lora exclaimed as soon as she lay eyes on him.

“You know this dude?” George queried.

Lora rushed to him and gave him a big hug. Hans chuckled, embracing her in return. “It’s nice to see you again, sis.”

“Oh, you’re her brother?” said Edward.

“Indeed” he replied. “And you must be George of the esteemed Firebrand family.”

“More or less” said George, chuckling bashfully.

“So what brings you here?” Lora asked.

“I have an assignment to complete in the capital” he said. “I managed to get some free time, so I decided to see you. Would you mind if I join you guys?”

“Not at all. Come on over” said George.

  
“So, you were talking about why people dislike the Grigori so much” Hans began as the others listened with rapt attention.

“Actually, it’s because we saved the world that we’re so hated.”

“It happened over five hundred years ago. The Gates of Hell had opened, and demons ravaged the known world. Humanity was at the brink of extinction.”

“Really?” Finn interjected.

“Precisely” said Hans. “But just when all hope was lost, a group of seven powerful mages rose to the occasion. Together, they made a deal with Lucifer, the King of Demons, to send the demons back to hell. In return, their souls would belong to him for all eternity. Only they straddled the line between hell and earth. They would be shunned by society due to their diabolical heritage, but it was a price they were willing to pay.”

“However, Lucifer tricked them. They had imagined they would suffer alone. They figured that the curse would be passed to any children they had, so they decided to remain celibate from then on. What they didn’t realize was that that the curse was spread to all their children, and their grandchildren and so on, even those born before the pact was made. By the time they figured it out, it was too late. Now we, their descendants, carry their curse, and this” he pointed to his right eye “is proof of that.”

“Dang” Finn exclaimed.

“So, that’s pretty much it” said Hans, dropping his melodramatic tone. “There are seven families, in honour of the original Seven, spread across the known world. Each family is divided into subfamilies. Lora and I are from the Blackhound family, and, uh, that’s it, I guess.”

Just then, Edward noticed that the crowd around them became agitated, as if a loud quarrel had broken out, then, a group consisting of forty or so people came marching straight towards Lora and the others.

“Can we help you with something?” said Hans, calmly.

The man who responded brandished an axe, his facial expression a mix of fear and anger. “We don’t take kindly to your kind being here and all.” He adjusted the axe as his cohorts egged him on. “We don’t have too much of a problem with one of you here, but two?” he paused to let the implications of his words sink in. “You planning a Sabbath or something?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, good sir” Hans responded, again calmly.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, damnit!” the man yelled, finally sick of his coy demeanour. “We wanna know what the hell you’re doing here, so we’re bringing you for questioning, and that includes you three!” By that, of course, he was referring to Finn, Edward and George.

“Hey!” Finn exclaimed.

“Alright, that’s enough” said Hans. Slowly, he got up from his seat, causing the mob to collectively flinch. Then he raised up both his hands and made an arcane hand sign.

“I’m ending this now.” He said, threateningly.

The mob drew their weapons at once. “He’s about to attack!” their spokesperson shouted. “Get him!”

Before any of them could raise a sword, however, his body began to glow green, and glowing, ethereal runes began to appear in the air just in front of his hands; the spell of Mind Control. Within seconds, the entire mob was trapped helplessly in a trance, their weapons dropping uselessly to the ground.

The crowd around them gasped in horror. Some of them began to mutter prayers of protection against evil.

“Let’s get out of here before things escalate any further” said Hans. They followed his lead wordlessly.

  
When he believed they had reached a safe distance, they finally stopped to rest. George wasn’t even entirely sure where they were.

“T-That was close” said Finn, in-between gasps of air. “But, isn’t using Magic on citizens illegal?”

“Not if it’s used in self defense” Hans replied.  
He continued talking after he was sure they had all recovered. I strongly doubt they will find us now.” He then turned to Lora. “I’d hate to say I told you so, but…”

“I know Hans” she said, cutting him off.

“What’s he talking about?” asked Finn.

“Her coming to this school was a mistake” he stated so matter of fact like that they could not even retort. “She… we can’t coexist normally with society. The world of Magecraft recognizes our importance and history and treats us accordingly, but the average person can’t see past our demonic heritage.”

“Lora” he continued even as she could barely look him in the eye. “Things like this will continue to happen to you as long as you are here. You should come back home. We have teachers and facilities that are just as good as…”

“But that’s just it” she blurted, surprising him and the others. “I believe that… people fear and hate us, because they don’t know us, and we respond to that by sequestering ourselves in some giant, dark Villa out in the forest away from everyone else. But…” she steeled herself “if we continue to hide and ostracize ourselves, people will continue to treat us like outcasts.”

Hans honestly didn’t know how to respond to that. The other three quietly listened. “I believe that if people knew more about us, if we interact more with them, they will know we’re not just demons in human skin. We’re people just like them. We laugh and cry and get angry and make friends just like any other person, and they’ll only see that once we show them. That’s why I decided to enter the Mage academy. That’s my reason for becoming a mage; to bring the Grigori out of the shadows.”

A moment of silence passed, then Hans chuckled. “That was a great speech sis.” Lora looked dismayed, thinking that he had completely disregarded everything she said, but the smile on his face told her otherwise.

Hans sighed and turned away. “You’re taking an unbelievable risk, you know that” he said. “There are people out there who hate us- I mean _really_ hate us. Doing this means putting your life on the line.”

“That being said, I admire your resolve, and the goal is a lofty one.” He sighed. “I wish I was around when Mom and Dad let you do this. Frankly I’m still surprised Mom agreed to this.” His expression became somber. “I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I do” said Lora, resolute.

“Fine then” said Hans, then he raised his hands and began to chant in a strange language. Lora and the others could literally feel the build up of magical energy around him, then, right before their eyes, a rift in space appeared.

“Whoa” Finn mouthed. The rest just gawked silently.

“It’s getting late” said Hans. “This portal will take you directly to the school grounds, though not inside the school, as it’s protected against teleportation.” He stepped aside and, acknowledging the signal, they went through the portal.

“Oh and George” said Hans, stopping him midway into the portal. “Take care of Lora for me, will you?”

With a knowing nod, he stepped through.

  
True to his word, they found themselves just in front of the main entrance to the school. Other students were already trooping into the place.

“So, I guess this makes us friends, right?” said George out of nowhere.

“Excuse…me?” said Lora, slightly amused.

“Where did that come from?” said Edward.

“I mean, I’m just saying, since we all just went through a traumatic experience, we should be friends, right?”

“I don’t think getting harassed by some townies counts as a traumatic experience” said Finn with a chuckle.

“Oh yeah?” said George defensively “Then what exactly counts as a traumatic experience?”

Lora quietly watched them bicker amongst themselves and laughed inwardly. Her goal was to introduce the Grigori to the known world. Making friends wasn’t a bad start.


	5. The Heat (part one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, our heroes will have an experience that will change their lives forever.

  
Ever since the Town Outing, Finn, George, Edward and Lora had been nigh inseparable. They ate at the same spot, went to the same places during the Town Outings and sat next to each other during classes, especially in the boring classes like Lee's Biology class, which they were having at the moment.

It had been two months since classes began, so most people had grown complacent enough to do other things with their time while Lee droned on about skeletal muscles and the peripheral nervous system. Finn, strangely enough, listened with rapt attention; he loved nature and animals, which directly translated to Biology. Lora was busy trying to keep George from dozing off, which she was doing partly to keep herself from dozing off. Edward wasn’t listening either, but he couldn’t sleep, as other thoughts preoccupied his mind.

Lee took a time out from talking to look at his pupils. _It’s just as I thought,_ he mused. _The class has become boring._

“It would seem I’m beginning to lose your attention” he announced. “Perhaps I should do something to… liven things up a bit.”

At that point, Anna walked in. “Ah, excellent timing, Ann” he chimed before she could even begin talking. “I’m going to fetch some extra tools to make the class more interesting. Would you mind watching the students while I’m gone?”

“Oh, uh, sure, I guess.”

“Wonderful.” And with that, he took off.

 _Damned bastard. What am I supposed to do with these guys_? Anna mused as she leaned uneasily on the podium, then a mischievous smile crept on to her face as an idea hit her.

“So” she began “you guys weren’t paying attention in Lee's class, huh? Wrong move there, guys.”

That undoubtedly caught their attention. Anna smiled. “He told you guys he was gonna get 'things' to make the class more 'interesting' didn’t he? Bad move there, guys.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked a random student.

“So, you all know Lee’s an Adept Major, as well as the head of Antheusa's Biological Research Division and the school’s Dean of Studies, right?”

The students nodded in affirmation.

“Good. He’s in charge of finding, collecting and studying all creatures within the country’s borders and beyond” Anna continued, hoping someone would ask the question she so desperately wanted them to.

“Excuse me ma’am” said another student “but what does this have to do with anything?”

Anna tried not to grin; it was almost too easy. “Well, that’s a good question. See, Lee’s had a reputation for…going overboard at times.”

That statement sparked their curiosity. “Sorry, but…what do you mean by…go overboard?” Asked Finn.

“Let me put it this way” she continued. “Lee is really passionate about his job, and being a biologist means you’ve got to do research and perform experiments on…sometimes living organisms- while they’re still alive of course.”

Seeing the subdued looks of disgust on their faces gave her satisfaction. “Many times, he doesn’t even factor in his test subject’s consent, and this includes people.”

Now it was time to bring it home. “I see you guys were learning about the peripheral nervous system and muscles. He's probably gone to get his tools and a specimen, to really show you how it works.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” another person asked uneasily.

“Oh, you know, dissecting, neural stimulation via electrocution and other torture methods, administering substances to see how the specimen reacts, all that junk.”

Now, the class was visibly and audibly grossed out, but Anna wasn’t done yet. “Oh, and if he doesn’t come back with some random animal, that means he’s using one of you as the specimen.”

The class laughed at first, then fell silent once they saw that she wasn’t laughing alongside them.

“Wait, are you serious?” another student asked fearfully.

“Like a heart attack” she replied. “And while we’re at it, we should get into what he does to students who really get on his nerves…”

When Lee returned, he met the class in a different demeanour than when he left it. For one, it was much more lively, but as soon as he faced the class, the noise died down almost immediately. A part of him was glad, yet another part of him was suspicious. Beside him, Anna simply stood, smiling.

 _Well, this is strange_ he thought. _What was Anna doing with them while I was away?_ He gave her a cold look; she simply kept smiling.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t continue with his class, as something had come up.

“Alright, I hope you didn’t miss me” he began. “It’s good to see you’re all lively again, and just in time, too. Today, you will be having a guest lecture.”

The whole class erupted into murmuring, and even Anna was surprised. “His name is quite popular with the kids; Andrew Ingles, I presume.”

At that, the murmuring transformed into full-blown excited chattering. Andrew Ingles, the Monster Hunter, the Gryphon Rider, the Dragon Slayer. His heroic exploits had made him famous all over the continent, and stories of his adventures made him a role model to many aspiring mages.

“No freaking way! Andrew Ingles himself is coming here?” Finn harped excitedly.

“I know right?” said George. “Andrew the Gryphon Rider! Here! In Antheusa!”

“I heard he was once cursed by a djinn to be a frog for three years and a day, but then tricked it into giving him the power to turn into one at will” said Lora.

“I’m sorry, but who exactly is this 'Andrew' person?” That came from Edward, and as soon as he said that, both the kids in front of him and behind him turned to face him. Edward flinched.

“You don’t know who Andrew Ingles is?” one queried.

“He’s only the greatest and most awesome adventurer mage who ever lived!” another almost yelled.

“Dude, how do you not know who he is?” George asked.

Meanwhile, Lee clapped loud enough for the whole class to get his attention. “Alright, that is enough now. He should be here any moment from now, so get yourself…” before he could finish that sentence, the door to the classroom swung open, and the whole class gasped in unison.

Standing at the door, his flame-coloured, flame-like hair billowing around him was Andrew Ingles himself. His proud, confident smile almost completely contrasted his warm, grey eyes. His green, long-sleeved shirt was decorated with medals and badges of all shapes; mementos of past victories. His large, red cape only served to enhance his glorious and awe-inspiring mien. His very presence impacted the place in a way that even Anna's scaremongering could not, and everyone was affected by it- everyone except Anna, who was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on, and Lee, who did know what was going on.

Seconds after he appeared, the class gave a deafening applause, accompanied by whoops and whistles. “Thank you, thank you. You are all too kind” said Andrew, then he went over to Lee. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”

“The pleasure is all mine” he replied, a benign smile on his face.

“And you too, milady” he continued, bowing deeply and extending his hand for Anna.

“The pleasure's all mine” she replied, with barely suppressed trepidation.

With all pleasantries duly exchanged, Andrew turned to the class. “Alright kids!” he announced in a loud voice. “Now I’m sure you’re all expecting me to deliver some two hour-long lecture about myself and my past and my present and bore you all to death.” He clasped his hands together. “Or, I could do the exact same thing- in 3D!” With that, he unclasped his hands, and right before their eyes, a giant phoenix made completely of fire erupted from his hands, spread it’s wings and gave a loud screech. The class wash awash with awe.

Anna scoffed. The power to shape fire was fourth tier Elemental Magic; absolutely nothing special. The fact that he was making it seem like such a big deal infuriated her.

“I suppose we should excuse ourselves” said Lee. “Anna”

“Yeah, whatever” she spat, and followed him out of the class. The students, for the most part, didn’t particularly care. Neither did Andrew.

“Alright kids” he continued. “How about we start with where I got my Noble steed, Jargala.”

The doors to Malachi’s office swung open with enough force that it would have startled him had he not been expecting it. His desk was almost twenty metres away from the entrance, at the other end of the room, so he always had a good look at whoever came in and could assess how to approach them. This time, it was Anna marching angrily towards him, with Lee just behind her, giving him the “I tried to stop her” look.

“Miss Anna Bryce” Malachi said, calmly.

“Care to explain what the hell is going on?” she butted in before he could say anything else. “What in the world is the World’s most famous Showboat doing here?”

“I assume you’re referring to Andrew Ingles?” said Malachi, calmly. “He’s a guest lecturer recommended by the Nobility. He’s quite famous if I recall correctly.”

“I know who he is, goddamned it” she said, slamming a palm on his desk. She was almost screaming now. “What I don’t know is why he's here and why you didn’t tell anyone!”

“Such matters are left with the Headmaster” he continued calmly. “If you have a problem, you should take it up with him.”

“Except he’s not around now, is he?” she said. “You’re the closest person to him. He never makes a decision without informing you. So what gives?”

Malachi gave a deep sigh before talking. “He was recommended by the Nobility. Do you remember the four prospective noble students who took their lives? We had to make certain concessions to keep their families happy. This is one of those concessions. We are to support him in any way he demands using any and all of our resources for the duration of his stay as a guest.”

Anna scoffed, folding her arms. “Why do we even have to kiss up to those bastards anyway? It’s not like they have any say in what goes on in here.”

“They don’t” Lee added. “They do, however, have a say in our funding.”

Anna groaned, pacing around the place in an effort to vent her rage. She knew what he was saying was true, but she didn’t like it one bit.

“You know the man’s a charlatan, right?” she stated. Most of his feats were either false or exaggerated. If not, they were things that were mind-blowing to a normal person but unspectacular to an experienced mage. He was, however, great at showboating and telling grand tales, which made him popular with the Nobility and common folk but a pariah to the mage community.

“I know, Anna” said Malachi, softly. “and believe me, I have absolutely no love for him.” An evil smile crept on to his face. “Which is exactly why we’re going to give him precisely enough rope to hang himself.”

“See, most mages think harpies aren’t all that dangerous, and really, for an experienced mage, they aren’t… until they swarm you in the hundreds.”

Even after his lecture was over, some students followed him to the courtyard, just to hear him some more. Of course, Andrew relished in the idea of people fawning over him, so even as the sun disappeared over the horizon, he kept telling them tales of his adventures.

“Of course, I made it out alive, but most people wouldn’t, so it’s best to be careful when you’re in a place infested with harpies.”

“Wow, you’re so amazing, Sir Andrew” one student praised.

“To think he actually took out a whole bunch of harpies” said another student, who had never seen a harpy.

“E-Excuse me, excuse me Sir Andrew” said Edward, who had just rushed over to see him before he left. “Do you actually, like, kill monsters?”

The others looked at him incredulously. How could he not know who he was?

“Do I!?” Andrew bellowed. “Boy, I’ve slain monsters in the hundreds- no, the thousands! I’ve killed so many magical monsters, I think I’ve driven some into extinction!”

The others gasped in awe at that statement. Edward didn’t care. “Have you ever killed a dragon, sir?”

Someone else responded to that question. “Duh, of course he’s killed a dragon. Haven’t you heard of the Wyrm of the Glistening Cave?”

“Or the Serpent of the Western Sea?” said another one.

“Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it, or theirs” Andrew cut in “you can come see me kill a real dragon by yourself.”

That took even his supporters by surprise. “Yes, that’s right” then he pointed towards the mountains overlooking the capital. “See those mountains, a real fire dragon lives there. That’s the real reason I came here; to hunt it down and destroy it.” He walked over to Edward, then took his hand. “I asked the school for permission to take five students with me. I am inviting you personally to come see me take it out. Do you accept? You can bring your friends if you want.”

At first, Edward was confused, but it was an enticing offer, and one he could not refuse. “Fine” he declared. “I’ll go.”

Andrew smiled. Behind him, all the others turned green with envy.

“Wonderful” Andrew harped, then looked up to the sky. “Well, looks like my ride is here.”

The others looked up to see what he was referring to, and right before their eyes, a giant Gryphon appeared. It had to be at least five metres long and almost two metres tall at the shoulder. It’s grey-mottled white fur glistened in the light of the setting sun. Its huge, eagle-like wings cast a large shadow. Its front legs were those of a lion, while it’s back legs were those of a bird. Its tail ended in a poisonous stinger. As soon as it hit the ground, it let out a fearsome screech.

“Hello there, Jargala” said Andrew, rubbing the scruff of its neck. It purred like a giant cat. Then he hopped on its back. “Alright kids” he said as it flew off. “Stay safe!”

Hours later, while they were having dinner at the cafeteria, Edward broke the news to his friends. Their reactions didn’t surprise him.

“You wanna go with him?” Finn queried. “Why?”

“Don’t you think it’d be dangerous?” Lora continued. “Dragons are dangerous, or so I’ve heard.”

“Well, he does have Andrew Ingles with him” said George. “Even so…”

“What?” Ed asked.

“It’s weird, in a way” said George, scratching his head. “I mean, up until this morning you didn’t even know the guy, and now you want to go with him to face a dragon? I don’t know about you but it feels kinda weird.”

II know” Edward replied, clenching his fists. Up until now, he had never told anyone except those who already knew, but these were his friends. He’d have to tell them at some point, so why not now?

Taking a deep breath, he began. “I-I’m from Willow's Worth.”

The others took a slight gasp of shock at that revelation, then their faces became solemn as everything became clear. They all knew what happened in Willow’s Worth. There was hardly anyone who didn’t know what happened there; the bustling fishing town that was reduced to ashes by a rampaging dragon years ago.

“That’s why I want to go” he continued, his vision clouding over with tears. “I want to see for myself whether those monsters can be killed my a mage.”

Finn stood up. “In that case, we’re coming with you.”

The others were surprised by that, even Edward. “Wait, we really are?” said George.

“Exactly” said Finn. “We’re friends. Friends support each other. Pretty self explanatory.”

George sighed, then smiled. “Well, we can’t argue with that, can we?”

Lora nodded in agreement.

“It’s settled then” said George. “Tomorrow, we’re gonna kill us a dragon!”

Andrew Ingles did not arrive until evening, much to the surprise of the people who were expecting him. Instead of arriving on his winged steed, he showed up on something that wowed the students and even some teachers just as much. The vehicle looked like an overly long sleigh, but it wasn’t pulled by any animal, and it was hovering in the air.

“A flying sleigh?” said Ember, who had come to see what was going on alongside Zober and Cassandra. “How the heck did he get his hands on one of those? There are less than ten of those in the world.”

“I’m more concerned with what the hell he's doing here” said Zober.

Andrew disembarked the sleigh once it came close enough to the ground. “Good morning Antheusa!” He announced loudly. The crowd who had come to see him cheered loudly at that.

“Oh, would you look at that” he continued when he saw Edward, alongside Finn, George and Lora, approaching him. “So, you found some friends to accompany you?”

“Yeah” said Edward. “These are George Firebrand, Lora Blackhound and Finn.” They all greeted him as they were introduced.

“Hmm, okay” said Andrew, slightly surprised by the students before him. Only Nobles or people from prestigious families had surnames. He had to admit, it was weird seeing Nobles and commonfolk being friends.

Nevertheless, now was not the time to think about it. “Alright then” he announced to everyone else. “I believe there’s still room for one more person.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the crowd exploded, everyone tripping over themselves to be selected. Eventually, he caught sight of someone jumping up and down, shouting “ME! ME! ME!”

“You” he said, pointing at the person. “the girl with the red hair.”

She didn’t seem to realize it at first, but once she realized she was selected, the lucky student- a petite redhead with large glasses and a bubbly demeanour- ran up to the sleigh.

“Congratulations uh…”

“Marilyn” the girl chirped excitedly

“Marilyn” he continued. “You get to come with me”

“HEY!” Ember bellowed, cutting the redhead's celebration short and taking the attention of the entire crowd. “What is the meaning of this? What is going on here?” Zober and Cassandra tagged along behind her.

Andrew regarded her dismissively. “What’s happening is that I’m taking some students on a field trip to…”

“I know that” Ember cut in. “What I mean is why are you doing this?”

Andrew seemed taken aback by that. “Why? I’ll have you know that I am…”

“I don’t care who the hell you think you are” she cut in again. “You cannot just swoop in out of nowhere and take a bunch of students on a dangerous and unauthorized 'field trip'. So take your flying sleigh and get out!”

Everyone was positively flabbergasted by that. A twinge of sadness crept into Marilyn's face. Andrew, on the other hand, was unfazed. Calmly, he reached into a pocket and brought out a piece of paper. “Maybe you should read this” he said as he handed it to her.

Both Zober and Cassandra joined in on reading the paper with Ember, and their expressions changed from outrage to confusion as it became clear to them; it was an official permit from the school, approved by the royalty, to take students on a field trip.

Andrew smugly took the paper from her. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be heading off.” He turned to his charges. “Children”

The five of them were a bit disgruntled by the drama that had played out before them, but their decision hadn’t changed. Silently, they alighted the sleigh and, with a command from the driver, it took into the sky and zoomed off.

Amidst the cheers and farewells of the students, Ember stood, seething.

“What now?” said Cassandra.

Ember clenched her fists. “Someone’s got some explaining to do.”

“So uh, Mr. Andrew, why exactly did we leave so late” asked Edward while they were still in the air. The sky had already begun to go dark, and so far, they had shown no signs of reaching the dragon’s location.

“Oh, we’re not headed for the dragon now” Andrew explained. “We’re gonna spend the night at my campsite at the base of the mountains, then we’ll leave for the dragon at first light tomorrow.” He had to shout because of the wind.

“I’ve got a question too” said George. Beside him, Marilyn was busy admiring a flock of birds flying just beside them. “I heard that dragons are extremely powerful creatures. That only an Archmage could stand against one in single combat. How exactly are you gonna beat it?”

“I was hoping someone would ask that question” said Andrew with a smile. “True, dragons are powerful, but the key to beating them isn’t brawn, but brains. Dragons are strong but they aren’t very smart, so you gotta use that to your advantage.” He shifted slightly in his seat. “That’s partly why we’re leaving so late. Dragons are weakest in the dawn, when they’ve only just woken up. They have powerful senses, so sneaking up on them isn’t very wise. We need to catch them while they are at their weakest.”

“I see” said George, not completely convinced by his answer, but more or less satisfied.

“We’re almost there” the driver announced. Just in front of them, they could see a great deal of illumination emanating from the forest. That definitely surprised Ed. What kind of campsite were they going to?

“Okay, so let me get this straight” said Ember, who, along with Zober and Cassandra, had gone to the Headmaster’s office to find out what happened, only to see the Headmaster himself, alongside Malachi, Lee and Anna, almost as if they had been expecting them.

“You’re telling me that keeling over to the Nobility and letting that wacko go off with five of our students was part of a plan?”

“Precisely” Zerastra replied. “The purpose of this is to show the Nobility that while we deeply apologize for their losses, we are not to be bullied.”

“At the same time, we’ve made it so that the blame for what is to happen cannot be passed to us without making them look stupid” Malachi continued. "The students' safety has been assured, of course."

“Believe me, I’m just as dumbfounded as you are” said Anna.

“Okay” Zober chipped in. “So could you explain this plan of yours?”

“Alright. I believe we owe you an explanation” Zerastra began. “Do you know who made the call for the dragon hunt?”

“I’m assuming it had something to do with us?” said Zober.

“Well, yes and no” Malachi cut in. “It was a noble under a subtle Mind spell that implanted in him the desire to call for a dragon hunt.”

“That was done mere hours after we received the information that Andrew was coming” Lee chipped in.

“Okay. So I assume this plan requires him to go fight the dragon and die in the process, right?” That came from Ember, to which Zerastra nodded in assent. “But you’re all forgetting something; Andrew. Has. Killed. A. Dragon. Before. Wyrm of the Glistening Cave, anyone?”

Lee chuckled. “Do you really believe that?”

Ember gave him a weird look. Lee continued, walking towards the door. “The creature Andrew killed was a Wyvern, Ember.”

“Yeah, what’s your point?” she queried. “Wyverns are dragons.”

“A common misconception” said Lee as he began to draw a summoning circle on the ground with special chalk. “Calling a Wyvern a dragon because it’s a flying reptile that breathes fire is like calling a dolphin a fish because it has fins and lives underwater.” He stood up, having completed the circle, then pointed his outstretched palm at it, pouring magical energy into the circle. “The two are fundamentally different creatures, and while wyverns are nothing but fire-breathing beasts, dragons are much, much more.”

With the summoning circle complete, he gave one final push, and in a puff of smoke, a huge reptilian skull appeared.

Ember and Zober were surprised that he had a dragon’s skull, but that was it. Cassandra, on the other hand, moved closer to inspect it. It definitely wasn’t what he expected it to be; she didn’t see any of the ridges and spikes commonly associated with dragons, for instance. But what caught her eye the most was that its head, rather than being flat, tapered to a dome near the rear. She looked inside the skull, and what she saw made her finally understand what they were saying.

“Most people believe that a dragon’s strongest scales are the ones on its underbelly” said Lee. “But the truth is the strongest scales are the ones on its head, including those giant spikes and horns.” He placed his hand on the domed part of its head. “The reason for this is to protect it’s relatively weak skull, which houses a brain which, compared to its body, is larger than any creature besides us humans and fairies.”

Ember still wasn’t convinced. “So that means…”

Now it was Cassandra's turn to speak. “This means dragons aren’t just dumb animals, or even intelligent animals like dogs or elephants, but fully sapient creatures.”

“Indeed” said Lee, a wicked smile on his face. “Something tells me Sir Andrew Ingles will be in for a big surprise.”

At exactly six in the morning the next day, after a perilous trek, Andrew, the five students, and a company of thirty guards armed with swords, arrived at the mouth of the dragon's den, which was embedded into a steep cliff side on the mountain's face.

“There it is” said Andrew solemnly. “the dragon's den.”

Edward found himself trembling with both fear and anxiety. For the second time in a long time, he was going to see a real dragon. He looked at the others, who were standing silently beside him. They probably felt the same way.

“Advance” said Andrew, and at that command, the guards moved into the den. Then he turned to the kids. “Listen. From now on you must stay behind me at all times. If things get too dangerous, it’s okay to run. Of course you don’t have to come in.”

“We’ve made our decision, sir” said George, on behalf of the students. “But will you be okay?”

Andrew smirked. “Relax. I am Sir Andrews Ingles! No mere dragon can stop me.”

That seemed to raise their confidence, and with that, they entered the cave.

The cave was huge; it had to be at least thirty metres in height and ten across. The walls were smooth, almost as if they were being polished, or constantly heated up then cooled down quickly. The cave had a smoky, rotten egg smell to it, and though it was completely dark, they could, with their torches, notice that something at the end of the cave was glittering.

Andrew noticed that the guards had stopped moving. He almost wanted to reprimand them, but he soon saw what had made them stop.

Gold. Silver. Crowns, ornaments, trinkets and precious metals of every shape and size, all in a pile as large as an apartment building. Tales had been told of dragons hoarding mounds of priceless treasures, but nothing prepared them for this. And the dragon was nowhere to be found.

Andrew and the students remained suspicious, but the guards' discipline broke, and they all rushed in unison to the treasure. Andrew, for his part, was mildly relieved that the dragon wasn’t around- yet, at least. Edward, for his part, noticed a piece of gold move unnaturally. Then it hit him.

“Guys! Get out of there! It’s a t…”

Right before their eyes, the treasure burst into flames. The guards didn’t even get the chance to scream. And from the fire emerged something straight out of their nightmares.

The creature was one hundred and fifty feet long from snout to tail and stood thirty feet high at the shoulder on four, bird-like feet. Gigantic wings that could stretch to a nearly two hundred foot wingspan we’re furled on it’s back. Its serpentine neck was twenty feet long and its tail was half the length of its body. The small horn on the tip of its lower jaw, the large, backwards sweeping horns that framed its glowing yellow eyes and the numerous spikes made it’s two metre long head even more frightening. Its bright red scales glowed with barely restrained energy and tendrils of smoke emerged from its nostrils with every breath.

In one motion, it turned its gaze to the Intruders, reared its head and gave an earth-shattering roar.


	6. The Heat (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes have come face-to-face with an ancient Flame dragon! How will they survive?

Fear.

True, pure, overwhelming fear. That was the only thing Edward could feel. Nothing else, not the fact that he was finally seeing a dragon face to face, not even the quick and brutal deaths he just witnessed, could eclipse the overwhelming fear he felt. He couldn’t even bring himself to run, for fear that it would kill him if he took one step. The other four felt the same way, since they too had not moved or said a word since the dragon revealed itself. Their fear was subdued, however, by the presence of Andrew Ingles. Surely he could stop it.

In reality, Andrew was more afraid than any of them, for he understood the magnitude of this situation better than any of the students. This was a dragon! A real dragon! Not the wyvern he killed before. Nevertheless, he had to swallow his fear. He looked back at the children. They were watching him. He couldn’t show cowardice in front of them. That would ruin him completely! No. He would simply go along as planned. Who knows, the dragon might not even be that tough.

**Wretched…humans.**

“Wait, was that…” said George, shakily. It was the dragon that spoke, not telepathically, but from its mouth. Its voice was deep and guttural, and it seemed to reach into his very soul. Of all the new things he was expecting to learn from this encounter, the fact that dragons could talk wasn’t one of them.

“Dragons can talk” Lora said, almost inaudibly. “But how?”

“ **Wretches** ” the dragon continued. “ **You would dare enter the lair of Vilgoratharr?** ”

Andrew stepped forward and spread his arms wide. “I call you out, wyrm. I am Sir Andrew Ingles, and I have come to destroy you once and for all!”

For a while, it said nothing. Then its body began to shake. At first they thought it was trembling in fear, then they heard the laugh, which eventually exploded into a full-blown guffaw.

“ **You…think you can destroy me?** ” Said Vilgoratharr, incredulously. “ **How utterly…amusing.”** Then it took two massive steps forward, each one shaking the ground. “ **Very well then, human filth. Do your worst!** "

Andrew crouched, and his body began to glow a bright blue as he gathered magical energy. Four light-blue magic circles appeared beside him, with two on either side of him, and from them large spears made of ice emerged.

“Take this!” he yelled as he hurled the spears at the dragon, aiming at its neck and face. All four hit the beast squarely; it didn’t even attempt to evade or counter it.

Andrew smiled. Fire dragons like him were weak to ice, and by combining water and wind elements, he had created this spell specifically to kill his kind…although he had only ever used it on other creatures.

“ **Good attempt** ” said the dragon once the smoke cleared. The five students looked on in dismay; the attack did nothing. It didn’t even appear fazed.

“That spell’s no good” George shouted.

The dragon reared its head, and its neck began to glow even brighter.

**My turn**

The dragon let loose a massive stream of fire so bright the students couldn’t even look at it. The heat was so great their clothes began to char, yet the fire did not reach them. When it finally stopped, the place where it hit had become a pool of partially melted rock- and surrounded by it was Andrew, completely unharmed.

The dragon appeared confused. “What’s this?”

Andrew laughed out loud. “You’re not the only one who is impervious to damage!” With that, he mentally recited a small incantation and he took to the sky. Flanking the beast, he began to chant loudly, and the soft glow surrounding him increased dramatically in intensity. This time, over twenty magic circles appeared, surrounding the dragon from all sides, and with a loud cry, they all fired at once, pelting it with ice spears. Then more circles appeared and repeated the process.

When he was through, he hovered in place in the air, panting heavily. That had taken almost everything he had, but hopefully it had done something.

“Watch out!” Finn yelled. Andrew turned just in time to see the giant tail rushing towards him, with speed too great for him to dodge. It smashed into his side, sending him plummeting towards the ground. He only narrowly escaped landing on the molten rock. Weakly, he got up to see the dragon annoyed, but unhurt.

“ **My turn again** ” it said, malice in its voice, then it let out another stream of fire, aimed straight at him. Andrew smiled, slowly getting up as he saw the fire warp harmlessly around him. Thanks to the Spatial barrier he cast on himself before he set off to the cave, no projectile could hurt him, meaning that the monster's best weapon had no effect.

He was about to begin planning a counterattack when a plume of fire appeared in front of him.

  
The five looked on in awe at the spectacle before them. The dragon was tough, but Andrew was holding his own.

“D-Do you think he can win?” Marilyn asked Finn as the fire hit Andrew.

“I hope so” he replied. “For our sake.”

Finally, the dragon stopped shooting, and the result was much the same as before, but this time, instead of Andrew, what stood at the centre was a still burning, mostly intact skeleton. It crumbled to ash seconds later.

It took them a few seconds to fully register what had happened. Andrew, the strongest member of their little group, was dead, and with him any chance they had of beating the beast. There was only one thing left to do; run.

“RUN!” Finn yelled, and they all turned and took off in unison. Behind them, the dragon stomped towards them, shaking the ground with every step. The five of them could barely see where they were going, dark as the corridor was. All they were focused on was getting out of the cave as quickly as possible. As it turned out, they should have paid more attention to their surroundings, for they had not been running for up to a minute when the ground underneath them collapsed, sending them tumbling helplessly into the darkness.

  
George opened his eyes slowly and saw nothing but pitch black. He tried to sit upright, then a sharp pain flared from his right shoulder, sending him back to the ground. He clutched his right arm instinctively; it was definitely broken. It was then that he could recall what had happened; the ground underneath them had collapsed while they were running, sending him- them- here.

The others. Slowly, he rolled on to his left side and, with great effort, stood up. “Finn” he called weakly. “Lora, Ed, where are you?”

Then the place was lit up by an approaching source of light. His heart almost skipped a beat, thinking it was the dragon, but he immediately calmed down, his face awash with relief, when he saw Lora and the others, a small flame floating right above her head.

“Guys!” George called, then flinched badly from the pain.

“D-Don't move” said Marilyn as she went towards him, unzipping her little pouch. “I think your arm's broken. Here.” He gave him a little vial filled with a purple liquid. “It’s a healing potion. I gave some to the others, too. Unfortunately, that’s the last one” in spite of herself, she managed a light chuckle. “You know what’s funny? These potions weren’t even meant for us. They were meant for Mr. Andrew in case he…”

“We need to find a way out of here” said George, cutting her off. He was already beginning to feel the effect of the potion.

“But how do we go about doing that?” Finn asked.

“I don’t know yet” said George, resignedly. “But there has to be a way to trap the dragon, or at least delay it for long enough.”

“And how are we going to do that?” asked Lora.

“Simple” said George assuredly. “We’ll just get it to chase us, all the while avoiding its fire breath, until we get it into a place that is too small for it.” He continued, his confidence growing. “Have you seen the size of the thing? There has to be a place it can’t manoeuvre through. Right now, I don’t think it knows where we are. We should use that opportunity to…”

“You just don’t get it, do you?”

That came from Edward, taking them all by surprise. George didn’t appreciate his negativity. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Edward remained unfazed, his face the picture of serenity. “What are you gonna do, huh? You’re going to outsmart it? Lead it into a trap?” He raised his voice. “That’s exactly what Sir Andrew Ingles thought, and now he’s dead.”

“What are you talking about?” said George, raising his own voice.

“I’m saying we can’t beat it!” Now Edward was shouting. “Don’t you understand? Its not just some powerful beast, it’s smart. Smarter than us!” His face became downcast. “It knew we were coming, so it hid itself using an illusion. Not to mention it was able to counter the protection spell Andrew was using. Don’t you remember what we learned in class? That the only way to counter a spell is to completely understand how it works? It knew how his spell worked and countered it immediately! Don’t you get it now?!”

The others stood silent as they realized the implications of his rant. The dragon wasn’t some fire breathing reptile, it could use magic. The dragon was a mage.

“It’s stronger and smarter than us” Edward continued, his voice filled with despair. “We can’t beat it, we can’t run from it, and now it wants to kill us. We’re all gonna die here.”

“Ed” said Lora softly, but she couldn’t find the words to counter his statement. Everything he said was true, and everyone else knew that. Marilyn began to cry silently. Even George, in spite of himself, agreed with him; the situation was hopeless.

“So what if the dragon is so powerful and intelligent?” said Finn, catching everyone’s attention. “We can’t just surrender our lives to it. We have to do something. We have to.”

“And what exactly do you think we should do?” Edward queried.

Finn moved towards him and placed his hands on his shoulders. “We can do it” he said uneasily. “We can do it if we believe in ourselves.”

Both George and Edward looked at him with overwhelming disbelief in their eyes. “Believe in ourselves?” George said, anger seeping into his voice. “That’s your plan? Believe in ourselves?”

George unfortunately did not have the time to continue his rant, for no sooner had he got out that last sentence when they heard- and felt- a huge thud, indicating that something big had landed on the ground. There was no question as to what that thing was.

Lora quickly snuffed out the light she was generating, leaving them in complete darkness. None of them dared utter a sound, for fear that it would find them by their voices.

“ **Hello** ” the dragon cooed, malicious playfulness in its voice. “ **Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are**.” It treaded slowly, as if it was trying not to accidentally spook them into running. “ **I** **promise, I won’t bite…after all, your bodies are far too small to require such.** ” It chuckled at that.

The five of them remained silent, even slowing their breathing as much as they could. George's mind began to race. Maybe the dragon couldn’t see in the dark, after all. If that were the case, they could simply wait it out. Hopefully it got bored and forgot them.

“ **Do you think you can hide from me forever?** ” said the dragon. “ **Even if it takes days, weeks, months or even years, I will find you and kill you. One. By. One.** ”

Then, the dragon decided it had grown bored of this little game. It already knew exactly where they were, but it wanted to terrify them into revealing themselves. But it seemed they weren’t as foolish as he thought, so he decided to drop the act.

With one brutal swing of its tail, it reduced the rocks closest to the group to rubble. Without a second thought, they began running away; at least Lora had the presence of mind to reactivate her torch made from Elemental Magic before she started running. They didn’t know where they were running towards, just that they were running away from the dragon’s advancing footsteps. Finn turned around instinctively to see the pursuer raise its head while its neck began to glow even brighter. There was no question what that meant.

“Jump, guys!” he screamed. “Jump.” Surprisingly, they all heard him.

In a brief spark of ingenuity born from desperation, they all jumped in unison to the right, on to a slope they didn’t even realize was there, narrowly dodging the dragon's fire. They tumbled for what felt like minutes, until they eventually rolled off an edge and hit something. Recovering from their disorientation, Edward and the others looked to see what had broken their fall, and they were amazed.

Gold ingots, diamonds, jewels, jewel-set rings, gold, silver and copper coins of varying shapes and sizes, beautifully made swords, shields and armours, expensive-looking clothes and embroideries, and countless other priceless treasures- they had landed on a veritable lake's worth of them. The walls surrounding them had crystals covered in bioluminescent algae embedded in them. That, combined with Lora’s light, made the entire lot glitter beautifully. For a short moment, they forgot they were being chased by a dragon; they couldn’t help but admire the sight.

Of course, the dragon was quick to remind them. “ **Impressive, isn’t it?** ”

They immediately snapped out of their admiration, frantically searching for where the voice came from. They soon found the dragon standing on the opposite end of the cavity, just near the edge, its full form visible to all.

“ **This... is my treasure** ” it continued. “ **For five thousand years I have lived. I have brought down the mightiest human kingdoms, destroyed the most ambitious fairy enclaves, and even destroyed members of my own kind to accumulate this horde…and you wish to take it all from me!** ” Despite himself, Edward could hear the anger in its voice.

“That’s not true!” Lora declared. “We were just…”

“ **Silence!** ” The dragon boomed, shaking the entire room with its voice. “ **Do you take me for a fool? I guessed your foul purpose some time ago, and you will pay for your intrusion with your lives!** ”

With that, it dived headfirst into the pile of gold. The five students began to scramble up the wall, using the crystals as footing. Miraculously, they managed to get to the top before it got to where they were. The dragon let out a loud roar.

Without pause, they ran up the slope and continued running until they hit a dead end. The wall was incredibly high and didn’t seem to lead to anywhere.

“Great” said George. “What now?”

“Look, over there” said Marilyn, pointing at a large opening on the wall by their left. “Let’s go there.”

“But what if it’s another dead end?” Finn asked.

The dragon roared again, sending shivers down their spines. “Wherever that is” George opined “it’s a lot better than here, so I say we go.”

And so they entered the opening, which turned out to be a tunnel that went upwards. They climbed for what seemed like forever, until they reached the end; another tunnel.

“Great” said George. “Where are we now?”

“Wait” said Lora. “I recognize this place.” Before anyone could ask her what she meant by that, she began running to her left. “Wait, hold up” said Finn as he and the rest of them followed her. It wasn’t until they saw the trickle of light that they understood why she was so excited.

Soon enough, right in front of them was the cave entrance from which they had originally entered the dragon's lair. Edward almost wanted to cry. They had made it. They survived!

Lora was so elated and relieved that she almost didn’t notice the squirrel right in front of her.

“What was that?” Finn asked upon her sudden halt.

“It’s nothing, just a squirrel” she said as it scurried cautiously towards them. Edward was about to question what a squirrel was doing in a cave like this when it answered his question for him. Right before his eyes, the squirrel began to glow red, and its eyes a bright yellow. The others saw this as well, but only Edward was able to put two and two together in time.

“IT’S THE D…” was all he managed to get out before the squirrel exploded before their eyes, knocking them back a fair distance. In the place of the squirrel, the dragon stood before them.

George, surprisingly, wasn’t feeling upset or even afraid. No, the emotion he was feeling was different, one he had never felt before, one that felt like his heart was being weighed down by an anchor. He soon realized what that emotion was; despair. They tried their best, but it wasn’t enough, and now they were at the dragon's mercy. Or maybe they were from the very beginning, and Edward was right all along.

Finn, on the other hand, shut his eyes and began to pray, hoping that something would happen to get them out of this situation.

“ **Well, it has been…fun** ” said the dragon. “ **But now the game is over.** ” Then it reared its head, its neck glowing with power.

**Time to die.**

A gout of fire raced towards them. George closed his eyes, bracing for the impact. Finn reflexively shielded Lora, for what it was worth. Edward simply stood silent.

But the fire never hit them. After a considerable amount of time had passed, George opened his eyes to see a man wearing a great, plain red wizard cloak. He looked to be in his sixties, his head and face were completely devoid of hair and his earlobes reached all the way down to the base of his neck. Despite being only slightly taller than him, he radiated an aura of power and authority that George could feel despite only seeing his back.

“ **Andraxes!** ” The dragon bellowed.

“It has been a while since we last met, Vilgoratharr” the man responded.

Andraxes. George knew that name. He was a teacher at the School, and a Master level mage. Had he been following them the whole time?

“I’ve come to take these little ones home” Andraxes said, matter-of-factly.

The dragon growled angrily. “ **They are trespassers…** ”

“And they will trespass no more” Andraxes cut in. Then he turned to the students. “Is that right?”

They all nodded in unison, for lack of a better response.

The dragon snorted in disgust. “ **Fine then** ” it said. “ **They may leave…except that one.** ” It pointed a claw at their direction, and after a bit of confusion, they realized it was pointing at Marilyn.

Marilyn staggered backwards. “W-What did I do?”

“What did she do?” Andraxes echoed.

“ **She stole from me** ” it said. “ **She stole from my hoard, therefore she must perish.** ”

“N-No” she stuttered. “I don’t understand! I…” then it hit her. Slowly, she removed her left shoe, and there it was. While they were struggling out of the pile of treasure, a single silver coin slipped into her shoe, and in her panic, she never noticed. Marilyn collapsed, staring dejectedly at nothing.

“If that is the case” Andraxes continued, completely unruffled “then she will simply return what was stolen.”

The dragon growled, its rage building. “Of course, if you have a problem with that, you’re free to kill her” the mage continued. “Know, however, that the entire might of Antheusa’s School of Magic will be railed against you should you do so.”

The dragon let out a deafening roar, one that sent George and Edward to their knees but didn’t affect Andraxes in the slightest. Then it calmed down, having vented its rage. “ **Very well.** ” It said, turning around. “ **I will forgive this time; next time will be different.** ” Then it went out of the cave and, with a leap and a great flap of its wings, took to the sky.

“Are you alright?” Andraxes asked, turning fully to face them. They nodded weakly. “Good. Sir Andrew’s flying sleigh is waiting outside. We should leave before it gets back.”

It took some time for him to notice they weren’t listening to him anymore. He sighed. Maybe he had underestimated how much the experience had affected them.


	7. The Takeaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having survived their encounter with Vilgoratharr, our heroes deal with the aftermath.

Moriah sat down quietly on her desk, meditating on the task before her. She found out years ago that doing so immediately before a therapy session improved her performance, and as the school’s Guidance Counselor, and with this particular case, a good performance was very much expected of her.

A soft rapping on the door interrupted her. “Come in” she said, her voice soft yet assuring. A small maidservant meekly entered the room.

“The patients are ready, Madam” said the maid.

“Good” Moriah replied. She stood up, dusting her large brown cloak and brushing back her auburn hair, which was done in a single large braid that reached her waist; a behavioural tick anytime she was about to do something strenuous. “Go inform Bishop that I have already begun.”

“Of course, milady” she replied, then left. Moriah sighed; she had a long day ahead of her. On the upside, she thought, the children could tell her what a real dragon of fire was like.

In a school such as this, a psychiatric hospital was not only required, but necessary. Interestingly, it was not situated within the school grounds, or even in the city, but in a quiet meadow far from the capital. It was Moriah's decision to build it here, for she believed that the fresh air and isolation of the meadow was the best for her patients. She herself stayed here, only venturing to the capital for classes or the rare necessities that a peaceful meadow could not provide.

Today’s patients were a group of five students who narrowly survived a dragon encounter. The same dragon killed Sir Andrew Ingles, a famous adventurer mage, in front of them. After they were retrieved, they were brought here immediately, where they spent the night. Today, she had to ensure the students' mental health while shielding them from the truth behind their misfortune, all the while hoping that the blow back this would inevitably cause did not reach them.

She sighed as she opened the first ward door. She just hoped her strength would be enough.

They were informed beforehand that she would be arriving to meet them, so Edward was already ready and waiting for her, seated on his bed. He stood up when Moriah entered the room.

“Morning, ma’am” he said.

“And a fine morning to you, child” she responded with a warm smile. “I hope you are feeling better. I trust your wounds were treated adequately?”

“Yeah, they were” he replied. “Say, where exactly are we?”

“Ah, yes” she replied. “I’m sure you’ve heard the stories; you know, of how we keep mad, powerful mages locked up in our basement, or how we have the first Headmaster's corpse.” She added that with a chuckle, hoping to use some humour to lighten up the mood. It didn’t work.

Moriah made a big show of clearing her throat before going on. “In any case, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Moriah, and this is the school’s psychiatric hospital. I, of course, am its director. I heard you were part of the ill-fated trip to Vilgoratharr's lair.”

“Oh, that” said Edward, downcast as memories of the event came rushing back.

Moriah gestured towards the bed. “May I?”

“Huh…oh, sure” he replied after realizing she meant sitting beside him.

“Alright, let’s cut to the chase” she said once she took her seat. “My sources tell me that you were particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of slaying a dragon. Is it because of what happened to your town several years ago?”

Edward recoiled. He didn’t expect her to be so…direct. He almost felt violated.

Moriah chuckled. “Sorry, was I being too direct?”

Edward caught himself. “Oh, uh, it’s nothing.” He began to reflect on her question. Truthfully, she was right. A lot of things have happened to and around him in his thirteen years, and he had forgotten a lot of them. The day it happened, as well as everything that occurred at the time, was not one of them.

He could remember every single detail of that day. His mother had made him a steaming serving of beef stew which he washed down with a glass of apple juice. His father was outside welcoming visitors; including his (Edward's) cousin, Merida. He remembered being distraught by the thought of having to stay with her for a whole week. He remembered both their parents talking to each other on the patio shortly afterwards while he and Merida played in the huge front yard garden. He remembered Merida shoving him so hard he almost fell. He remembered angrily chasing her across the garden, and he remembered stopping, as he could hear around him the faint sound of screams from beyond the compound's walls, and he remembered wondering why they were screaming.

He remembered turning around to see the dragon, great, red and terrible. It was perched precariously on the roof of their three-story mansion like some giant cat perched on a thin branch. He remembered his aunt screaming and falling over in terror once she saw it. He remembered his father running towards him, yelling at the two of them to run to the barn. He remembered running as fast as his little legs could carry him, but Merida was not fast enough. He remembered diving headfirst into the barn. Then he turned to see a plume of smoke rising from where his place used to be, and he saw, emerging from the smoke like a giant, the dragon.

The last thing he remembered before he passed out was Merida being consumed by the flames.

“A dragon destroyed my home” he said softly, his voice breaking. “It…destroyed my family. And the worst part is, I just can’t understand why.”

Moriah said nothing, allowing his feelings to flow.

“When I finally came to, a whole day had passed. I was found by Antheusan soldiers who were going through the ashes looking for survivors, but I was the only one.” He got up. “I was given to my maternal aunt, and that’s where I’ve been ever since.”

“I see” said Moriah, solemnly. “That’s why you followed Andrew; to find out how to kill a dragon, in order to get your revenge on the one that destroyed your life.”

Edward took a deep breath and turned around. “That’s only half correct, ma'am.”

“Excuse me?”

“Exactly” said Edward, emotion creeping into his voice. “My goal isn’t to kill the dragon that killed my parents. My goal is to get rid of all dragons.” That revelation shocked her slightly. “It’s not just me, ma'am. Dragons everywhere are a nuisance. They destroy and plunder and kill everyone and everything in their path. After that day I swore that no one else would share the same fate as I did. That’s my reason for becoming a mage; to rid the world of dragons.”

A short pause followed, then Moriah spoke. “Or at least, that’s what you believed until yesterday.”

Edward was, once again, taken by surprise. She read him like a book. He sighed and returned to his position on the bed.

“If it were up to me, I’d tell you to abandon that dream” Moriah continued, standing up in the process. “However, it’s not, so I won’t.” Then she faced him. “I will, however, tell you this; dragons have been slain before. Hundreds of them. In fact, Vilgoratharr himself was nearly destroyed just fifty years ago.”

“Really?” said Edward.

“Precisely” she replied. “Look, the point is, you shouldn’t let this experience dissuade you from achieving your goal, whatever it is. This is merely the first of many setbacks- as a mage you’re going to encounter a lot of them. The point is to learn from those mistakes and use them to grow as a person.”

Edward stared at the floor pensively, taking in her words. After a while, he spoke. “I understand.” Then he stood up to give her a handshake. “Thanks, ma'am.”

“The pleasure is all mine” she responded with a smile.

Well, that was easier than I expected thought Moriah as she left his ward. She had expected him to be her second most difficult case today, but thankfully he was not much trouble.

That being said, however, she wasn’t done yet, and as she headed towards George’s room, she believed things would become much more interesting.

“I told you, lady, I’m fine” George spat as he lay legs-crossed and face up on his bed, fiddling with a small sphere. Moriah, who was seated on a stool just beside him, was putting a lot of effort in restraining from laughing out loud.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, coyly.

George was getting pissed. This was the third time she was asking him that question; she was toying with him. “Yes, ma’am, for the third time, I am fine. Can I leave now?”

Moriah sighed and stood up. “Well, you could” she began. “However, school regulations demand that you be here for at least three days, just as it demands that I provide counseling sessions to you.” She made a great show of stretching. “Buuut, since you’re clearly okay, we can at least talk for the time being.” She resumed her position on the stool. “So why don’t we talk about your little misadventure in the cave?”

George sighed in annoyance, but he continued nonetheless. “Nothing really happened there. Sir Andrew went in to kill the dragon, it killed him instead. It almost killed us, the end.”

“Oh” said Moriah, leading him into her trap. “Well that’s not very interesting. Are you sure that’s all that happened?”

“Yeah, that’s all” he replied softly.

“Really?” she continued. “Because Master Andraxes told me a very different tale.” She shifted slightly. “He told me many things, including the fact that you had all but given up on escaping. Awfully cowardly of you, don’t you…”

“I AM NOT A COWARD!” he yelled, leaping out of his bed like a provoked cat. “DON’T CALL ME A COWARD! I’M FIREBRAND! WE…”

“Boy” she cut in, smiling softly. “Nobody’s calling you a coward except you.”

George recoiled at that, then slumped back on the bed, his rage spent. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Moriah chuckled. “I am a professional, after all.”

“It’s so hard to believe. Even now, after everything, it’s hard for me to believe that he was a fraud, y'know?”

Moriah nodded silently, allowing Finn to talk out his fears. She was almost relieved that he was this simple. It allowed her to properly prepare herself for what was about to come.

That being said, she couldn’t just sit down like a mannequin and nod at everything he said. She had to make it a conversation, otherwise he might not be able to fully vent his feelings.

“In his book, he says he’s killed a dragon before” Finn continued. “Two, in fact. So how come he couldn’t kill that one? Maybe Vilgoratharr was just a ridiculously powerful dragon?”

“Vilgoratharr is a fine specimen” she said. “But he’s hardly the strongest of his kind. Andrew’s claims were either exaggerated or false. Take, for example, the Wyrm of the Glistening Cave. He _did_ kill the beast, but that was a Wyvern, not a dragon.”

“But isn’t a wyvern a type of dragon?” Finn asked.

“Afraid not” she replied. “There are five types of dragons; there’s the Flame dragons, of which Vilgoratharr is one, Sea dragons, Sky dragons, Earth dragons and Forest dragons. Wyverns, cockatrices, lindwyrms, drakes… none of those are dragons. A wyvern might be almost as big as one, but it’s not nearly as strong or as smart.”

“But how about the Great Serpent of the West Sea?” he asked again?”

“Ah yes, that one” she began. “The Great Serpent of the West Sea is a dragon, and our sources have confirmed it’s still alive. It must have spread a rumour about its death by Andrew’s hand to throw actual Dragon Hunters off its trail for a while, and naturally, he claimed it.”

“Oh man” said Finn, dejectedly. “Guess Sir Andrew Ingles really was a fraud.”

Moriah nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed. He was a good mage, just not nearly as good as he made himself out to be. Let this be a lesson to you on the dangers of hubris.”

“I understand, ma’am” said an uplifted Finn. “Thanks for the talk.”

“No problem” she replied with a smile.

Moriah walked out of Finn’s ward feeling relieved. That was good, for she would be in the best state of mind for what was coming next, for while they were having their conversation, a special visitor had come to see her.

“Evening, madam” the visitor said politely as Moriah entered her office. He wore a pearl-coloured, long-sleeved shirt with matching trousers which was held in place by a blue sash. He wore a white cape that was draped over his left arm. The cape itself had two symbols on it; the Antheusan Coat of Arms and the symbol of his noble house. His brown hair was cut cleanly and even though he was obviously a young man, his face betrayed his experience an world weariness.

“No need for the formalities, Theodore” she said. “I know why you’re here.”

Theodore sighed, then sat down on the visitor chair. “That was a nasty stunt you guys pulled, you and the Headmaster.”

Moriah took a seat on her desk. “And how do you know it was me?”

“Because you’re the only person I know who could mind control someone like that without even getting near him” he said. “And since you’re relatively unknown, you’d be the last person anyone would suspect.”

Moriah smiled, but not her usual warm smile. This one was a conniving one. “That’s true, but you don’t have any proof.” She shifted slightly. “Just as you don’t have any proof that we even did anything.”

“The Skythunders know that” he said, his tone becoming more serious. “and they don’t care. One of their finest scions died. They’re out for blood and they will have it, one way or another.”

“That’s why they want the children” she said grimly. “They want to interrogate them, coerce them into telling the truth; their truth, that is.”

Theodore took a deep breath with intent to speak, but the words died in his throat.

“You’re a Skythunder too, aren’t you?” Moriah continued. “Can’t you just convince them to not do that?”

“If I could, I wouldn’t be here.”

Moriah closed her eyes in contemplation, took a deep breath and opened them again, her resolve ironclad. “Well, they can’t have the children. They’ve suffered a traumatic experience. They need to be taken care of, not drilled.”

“You know I can’t leave here without them, right?” he said. His face was expressionless.

Moriah's face darkened. “If you want to take them, then by all means, do so” she said, her eyes narrowing. “But you’ll have to go through me.” She stood up menacingly. “Well, how about it? We’ll have a Wizard Duel to decide who gets to keep them. You up for it?”

Theodore clenched his fists, carefully considering the situation. He knew there was a low chance of him beating her in a fair fight; she was an Adept Major, while he was a lowly Adept. However, a chance was a chance, after all, she wasn’t exactly a fighter herself. Maybe he could win, or at least walk away with enough injuries that the Skythunder elders didn’t harass him for failing at his mission. The real question was; was it worth it?

Theodore sighed and got up. “Well, I’m afraid I have no intention of dueling you today. I guess I’ll just have to report to my superiors that my assignment was unsuccessful.”

“You do that” said Moriah.

Theodore took a deep bow. “Adieu, madam.” With that, he left.

“That poor boy” Moriah muttered. She almost felt sorry for him. Theodore Skythunder occupied a precarious position, constantly having to choose between his family and the school. Most mages leaned completely on one side, and most of them leaned towards the school. Then there were special cases like Anna, but he stubbornly refused to pick a side, believing wholeheartedly that he could serve two Masters at once. As she got herself ready for her next patient, she hoped his two-timing didn’t become the death of him.

Moriah was, with all sincerity, surprised by how well Lora was coping. She was almost tempted to ask whether she was really just a student, because she knew some adults who wouldn’t take it that well.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Moriah queried.

“Well, yeah, more or less” Lora replied. “I mean, it was pretty scary, but mostly, I’m just glad we made it out alive.”

Moriah nodded in agreement. The girl had a strong heart.

“Uh, excuse me, can I ask something?” said Lora.

“Oh, sure, go ahead” she replied.

“Are the others okay?”

Moriah waited for a while before answering, thinking of the best response to give. Eventually, she simply decided to tell her the truth- mostly.

“Actually, they’re doing quite fine” she began. “Truthfully, from my diagnosis none of you really need to be here, but school policy demands that you receive at least three days of therapy after an incident such as this.”

“Oh” said Lora. Moriah could hear the relief in her voice.

“Well” she said, getting up from the stool “I believe I’m quite done here… oh, I almost forgot to ask. How are you finding the school so far?”

“Great” Lora responded.

“You’re the first Grigori to ever attend this school, you know” Moriah stated. “There are a lot of people who don’t like you guys, so be careful okay?”

“I will ma’am” said Lora.

“Good. I’ll be off then.” As she left, she pondered over what she told Lora. True, their greatest trouble right now was not PTSD from their near fatal encounter, but from spiteful nobles, and from them, the school was ready to protect them with everything at its disposal. Yes. Everything would be okay.

Or at least, that was what she would like to think. The four students she met so far were more or less fine, but the one named Marilyn- the one who had been directly threatened by the dragon- was a different case. She spent the whole night after she arrived alternating between sobbing and screaming. Heaven knows what the experience had done to her. Depending on how her case was, she could be out of commission for the test of the semester, or even forever. So it was with a heavy heart that she opened the door to her ward.


	8. Places Old and New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New adventures and trials await our heroes as they temporarily part ways.

George, Edward and Finn chatted among themselves as they packed their bags, even though it was already bedtime and they were almost certain to earn the ire of the dorm master. That thought wasn’t in their minds at the time, though, excited as they were for the mid-semester break. Even though it only lasted ten days, virtually all students waited eagerly for it, with some even spending weeks planning what they would do during the break.

“So” George began “if you guys aren’t going home, where will you be staying?”

“I heard we’ll all be staying in a single dorm, since there aren’t many of us” said Edward. Some students, like Finn and Edward, decided not to travel back home for the break, instead staying back in school. This was usually the case for children from poor families, like Finn, foster children, like Edward, or other peculiar cases.

“I wonder if we get to share rooms with girls” Finn said.

“Dude!” George exclaimed.

Edward chuckled. “I…strongly doubt that will happen… Shh!”

The sudden warning and change of tone put the other two on high alert. Edward closed his eyes and said a barely audible incantation; a Mind spell to increase his sense of hearing. The others stood silently, while he zeroed in on the sound he was looking for. Then he got it, the sound of faint but heavy footsteps heading towards their direction.

“It’s him!” said Edward, in a hushed but alarmed tone. “It’s Hugo, the dorm master!”

Without missing a beat, they killed the lamps and got on their beds. Hugo was famous for the particularly embarrassing punishments he gave to boys who violated the lights out rule. Making offenders sleep in the corridor or, even worse, do hostel laundry all night, was pretty standard for him. And for some reason, even though he wasn’t a mage, Magic didn’t seem to work on him.

The footsteps became louder and louder until they eventually reached their door, then it stopped. All three of their hearts skipped a beat, fearing that they had been busted. Then the footsteps continued, fading with each heavy thud.

George, Edward and Finn waited until they could no longer hear him before bursting into fits of suppressed laughter. Being a mage was awesome.

The next day, at exactly nine in the morning, all the students, including those that weren’t going, were gathered in the Grand Hall, chatting eagerly amongst themselves as they waited for the bell that signified that it was time to leave. A fight broke out right in the middle of the Hall, capturing the attention of almost all the students.

“What’s up with those guys?” said George.

“Beats me” Finn responded. “But more importantly, where will you be going?”

Those two, alongside Lora and Edward were, as usual, together. Before they were interrupted by the fight, they were talking about where they would go during the break; specifically, where George and Lora would be going, as they were the ones traveling.

“Why, the Firebrand estate, of course” George responded. “That’s where my uncle stays most of the time. It’s been a while since I last saw him.” His voice took a wistful turn at that last sentence.

“How about you?” Edward asked Lora. Lora, lost in thought, didn’t respond immediately. “Oh, uh, I’ll the going to the Northern Grigori headquarters.”

“Are you okay Lora?” asked a concerned Finn. The others shared his worry. “You’ve been acting weird all day. Something on your mind?”

“Oh, oh no, not really” she responded, a bit flustered. “It’s just… well, I’ve been thinking about Marilyn.”

The others nodded silently in understanding. It had been nearly two months since that incident, and they hadn’t seen or heard from her since. For all they knew, she might still be in the hospital. After all, she was a complete mess after the incident.

“So, Grigori huh?” said George, trying to lighten the mood. “That’s quite the distance. Even if you left now, it’d be night fall by the time you got there.” The Firebrand estate, on the other hand, was near the Royal palace, which made it just an hour’s carriage ride from the school.

“The two of us are staying here” said Finn, more to Lora than the others. “It turns out boys and girls will be staying in separate dorms after all.”

“Won’t it get boring?” Lora asked.

“Yeah, probably” Edward replied. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought about that.

Soon enough, the loud, sonorous chiming of the bell echoed throughout the school, and almost immediately, the massive front gates of the school opened, and it was a race to see who could get there first by the students save a few, the four of them included.

“So, I guess this is goodbye” said Edward, a twinge of emotion in his voice.

“Dude” said George. “It’s only for a few days. We’ll be fine. We’ll definitely see each other again.”

“Alright” Lora chimed in. “We should better get moving George.”

“Right.”

Several minutes later, the Hall was almost completely empty. Finn mentally estimated the number of people still around to be just over twenty. He was suddenly regretting his decision to stay back, even knowing that he had his parent's consent.

“So” Edward said, trying to start a conversation. “it looks like things are going to be quite boring around here for the next ten days.”

“True” said a despondent Finn, then an idea struck him. “Or maybe not.”

From the tone of his voice, Edward could tell he was up to something. “What do you mean by that?” The skepticism was virtually dripping out of his mouth.

Finn leaned closer to Edward as he was about to introduce him to his plan. “According to Brian, there’s a room right in this building were all the teachers go to gossip and do other stuff.”

“Oh” Edward, as much as he hated to admit it, understood not just what he said, but what he was implying. Brian was the school’s unofficial info-peddler, so his information was more or less reliable. On top of that, it was clear what Finn was getting at; they were going to sneak into that room.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea” said Edward, speaking in a hushed tone instinctively. “What if we get caught?”

“Come on, Ed” Finn prodded. Edward winced. He didn’t want to get into trouble, but the offer was enticing. Who knew what they would do to them if they got caught? Who knew what juicy gossip material was in there?

After much consideration, Edward caved. “Alright fine, but once I say we stop, we stop. Got it?”

“Cool” Finn chirped, beaming. “Alright, let’s go!”

“Unbelievable!” Ember huffed as she paced angrily across the room, tiny red Sparks dancing over her head. The other teachers in the room- Lee, Anna, Cassandra, Zober and Macross- simply watched her rant. They all knew it was best they just let her vent her rage than try to make her calm down.

“Most mages get cool jobs as their first solo assignment, or at least rewarding ones” she continued. “But what do I get? Loading salt. Freaking salt!”

“Oh come now, it isn’t that bad” said Macross. With his slight build, his brown hair cut to the base of his neck, his dull grey robes that obscured every part of his body save his hands and face, and his large spectacles, one could be forgiven for thinking he was an eunuch. In fact, he was the head of the school’s Potions and Spells Laboratory and an Adept Major en passant; he had achieved some of the requirements for the higher rank, but not all of them.

“You should consider yourself fortunate for getting an easy job” he continued. “Some people would give anything to have been in your position.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she barked at him.

“It means you don’t get to suffer the indignity of bungling your first solo assignment” said Zober. “Trust me, if seen people like that. It sticks to you for life.”

“Look, maybe you should calm down a bit, Ember” Cassandra chipped in. “Look on the bright side. You bagged your first solo assignment! Isn’t that great?”

“Just because it’s my first time alone doesn’t mean I get to be treated like a child” Ember snapped, leaning on a nearby wall and crossing her arms.

“Look, the point is, you can complain all you want and no one will hear you” Macross address. “So why bother?”

“That’s what you think, Macross” Ember retorted. “Tomorrow, I’m gonna march up into the palace and tell the king I don’t want this stupid job.”

“That’s a really bad move…” Zober warned. “especially since we aren’t exactly held in the highest esteem by the Nobility.”

“Oh screw them!” she retorted loudly. “What’d they ever do for us, huh?”

“It doesn’t matter…”

And on their battle raged. Meanwhile, Lee and Anna decided to have a conversation amongst each other, drowning out the others.

“So” Anna began. “How bad exactly is it between us and the nobles?”

“Quite, I’m afraid” he responded. “There are rumours that they are pushing to slash our funding by half come the next harvest.”

“For real?” she exclaimed. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, we expected something like this, I know, but I didn’t believe they’d actually do that.”

“You better believe it” said Lee. “The Headmaster wishes to begin negotiations with the nobles tomorrow.” He adjusted his position on the cushion he was on. “I would have loved to be a part of those negotiations, and I’m quite sure they know that too. That’s why they’re having me shuttled off to the Black Forest.”

“I see” Anna responded. “Guess it makes sense.”

Lee decided to change the topic. “So, what were you assigned?”

She scoffed. “To go exorcise some angry fey spirits in the villages near the western border. Real pain-in-the-ass job if you ask me. Not even being paid enough.” She said that last part under her breath.

Then, wordlessly, Lee stood up from his seat and moved towards the door, taking the other four by surprise.

“Hey, where are you going?” asked Zober.

Lee smiled. “Why, to welcome our guests, of course.”

That caught all of their collective attention. They all knew who he was referring to, but to refer to them as guests was a bit off. Macross, in particular, would have liked that he called them what they were; eavesdroppers.

Lee opened the mahogany door, and in came tumbling Finn and Edward, held down by two huge snakes. He would never admit it out loud, but Zober found their futile attempts to escape the snakes amusing.

“That’s enough now” said Lee, and the two snakes obediently released the two boys. Lee stretched out his left arm, the palm of which had a strange black symbol on it, and the two boys watched in subdued awe as the snakes crawled _into his hand_.

 _That is so cool_ Finn said in his mind.

“What exactly were you two doing out here?” Ember barked. “You’re supposed to be in your dorms!”

“We know, and we’re really sorry, ma’am” Edward blurted in hopes of avoiding a punishment. Where he saw a possible punishment, however, Finn saw…something else.

“I-It’s just that…we were really bored!” said Finn, going on a limb. Everyone in the room, including Edward, shot him a look of utmost incredulity.

“I’m sorry, what?” said Macross.

Finn, knowing that there was no turning back from here, ploughed onwards. “We knew that we wouldn’t be able to do anything for the next ten days, so…we decided to have some fun.”

The fact that none of them had responded yet was filling his heart with anxiety. So he decided to deal with it the only way he knew; keep talking. “Uh, I heard you guys talking about stuff like missions and assignments. Uh, what are those?”

Ember was about to give them a sharp reprimand followed by some ear pulling, but Lee started before she could.

“They’re called assignments, dear boy, and they’re basically special tasks given to us by the Crown.” He moved towards them. “In essence, they can be seen as a sort of service to our country, done to repay all the resources it has invested in us. We usually get them when the school’s on break, such as now.”

Edward was just now realizing how tall Lee was. He towered above everyone else in the room, and now, as he was standing so close to them, he could only see his stomach. Lee placed a hard but slender hand on each of their shoulders and crouched.

“You see, I in particular was given quite the unusual assignment” he began. “I, along with Macross and Cassandra, am to serve as diplomat to the Fairy Folk.”

Finn’s eyes widened. The Fairy. Enigmatic magical creatures who lived in the Black Forest. And he was going to see them! “No way!” he exclaimed.

“But what’s the mission about?” asked Edward, trying to hide how awestruck he was as well.

“Mostly trade and a few other things” Lee replied. “But think about it. You will get to see something only a handful of people have ever seen.”

It took the two of them a while to fully comprehend what that last sentence implied, but comprehend it they did. “Hold on” said Finn. “You said we would get to see something. Did you…”

“Exactly” Lee said.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Now hold on there Lee” Zober cautioned. “I don’t think we’re allowed to do that.”

“And why not?” Lee interjected, turning around to face them. “They will be under the direct supervision of the Dean of Studies. I say it’s perfectly legal.”

“But what if the Nobility finds out?” Cassandra cautioned. “What if they…”

“Then they won’t find out” said Lee, matter-of-factly. “The only people who know about this are in this room. So as long as no one else is informed, we’re safe.” He scanned all of their faces, just in case.

“Hold on” said Edward. “You’re saying that…”

“That’s right” said Lee, facing them. “I want the two of you to join me.”

George looked out the window of the carriage, noting the familiar change of scenery anytime he was going home from the School. The most obvious change were the houses; they became bigger, fancier and more widely spaced. The streets became cleaner, in part due to the automatons who cleaned the place every morning and in part due to the much smaller population. Unlike the frantic, vibrant atmosphere of the city surrounding the School, the beautiful fountains and picturesque parks of the area surrounding the Royal Palace made the place feel serene, almost whimsical.

Of course, that said absolutely nothing about what happened inside the pretty houses, but that wasn’t relevant, was it?

“Your mother’s really happy you’re coming home” said the driver. Unlike the one that brought him to school, this was a legit, horse-drawn carriage. Needless ostentatiousness wasn’t the Firebrand way.

“Yeah, I bet she is” George replied. Unlike many of the noble friends he had, his family was a pretty happy and functional one and had always been one; perhaps less so after his father died.

“She talks about you a lot” the driver continued. “She misses you, she does. Especially after your dad…well, y’know.”

“Yeah, I know” George replied rather forcefully, letting him know that he no longer wanted to continue the conversation.

“We’re here” the driver announced after a while. At that George looked out the window to lay his eyes on the familiar sight; the breathtaking road surrounded by trees which led to the main entrance, a massive bronze gate with a sculpture of a leaping ram with fiery horns and a snake in its mouth; the emblem of the Firebrand Noble family.

It was, as George predicted, nightfall by the time Lora got to the estate. She knew for a fact that it wouldn’t have changed even if the magic-powered carriage hadn’t stopped to pick up her brother. A mournful howl cut through the night air and a swarm of bats briefly surrounded the carriage. A dreadful wind blew around blackened leaves and caused the branches of dead trees to sway ominously, and the whole place had a dreadful, mournful air to it.

Lora scoffed. Her uncle really had a flair for the needlessly dramatic.

“You know, sometimes I really forget how…isolated we are from the rest of the kingdom” Hans said wistfully. The Grigori lived far away from everyone else for the same reason they didn’t have a single manual carriage despite how expensive the magic ones were; not many ordinary folk were okay with working for or even living near the Grigori. It was sad, but true.

“Yeah, and I don’t like that” Lora replied. Her parents were extremely paranoid, which was natural, given their condition. It had taken a lot of convincing from both her and her uncle, as well as a certain teacher in the school, to get her to enroll. But she knew why she had done it, she knew, in her heart, that it would ultimately be better for her family in particular and the Grigori as a whole, and she was not going back on her decision.

And as the carriage approached the featureless iron gates that marked the entrance to the Northern Grigori headquarters, she hoped her parents wouldn’t go back on theirs.


	9. George's Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's George's time to shine in this chapter! Now he must face his convictions head-on.

  
George stared absent-mindedly through the only window of his fairly large room. In his line of vision was the stone wall that surrounded his family’s mansion, followed by a field of wheat as far as the eye could see. George remembered the field well. Every weekend he and his parents would join the workers in the field from dawn till dusk. “To know where the money comes from.” That was the reason his dad always gave him every time he complained about the work. He smiled, remembering how much he dreaded weekends because of it. After his father died, not only did he not dread the day, he looked forward to it, and the practice continued right up to his departure for the Magic school.

This was no ordinary weekend, though. Headmaster Zerastra was to see the king today, which meant he was holding court, which meant that the most important members of the Nobility, along with their heirs, had to be present. He honestly preferred working in the fields than standing around in court.

He looked across the field, unconsciously visualizing the rest of the estate. By the right of the wheat field was the slightly smaller barley field. By the area backing him were the assorted vineyards. Each crop field had its own cellar, silos or relevant storage facility in order to reduce the workload and eliminate the risks that came with transporting barrels of fermented grain across three thousand-odd acres of land. Unknown to the public, there was a special garden just underneath the mansion's basement where a special herb was grown. That herb, when added to an alcoholic beverage, not only increased its potency but made it mildly addictive. That was one of the reasons why Firebrand wine stayed consistently above the competition.

“Someone’s looking awfully melancholy.” That came from a rather deep female voice, one which George recognized immediately. Rachel Firebrand, CEO of Firebrand Breweries, was one of the wealthiest people in Antheusa. Though her husband- George’s father- was technically the owner of the company, she handled all the day-to-day operations while he was busy performing his duties as a mage. After his unfortunate demise, some other members tried to strong-arm her out of the company, to absolutely no avail. She was strong, fearless and shrewd. The only thing keeping her from becoming the head of the Firebrand house was the fact that she wasn’t a mage.

“Mom” George breathed as he turned to see her. She had brown hair as opposed to George’s red, which he inherited from his dad.

“You almost scared me to death” he continued. “Why’d you come here?”

“What?” she began, playfully grabbing him by the cheeks. “I can’t see my most favourite person in the world anymore?”

“Ow, stop it mom” he complained, brushing her arms off. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

Rachel folded her arms in a show of pretend disappointment. “Oh, I see how it is. Little George thinks he’s all grown up now.” She began pacing. “He thinks he no longer needs his mommy just because he’s got magic powers now.” A sly smile crept up on her face. “Well, let’s see how his magic helps him against…this!”

Before he could react, she assailed him with tickles. “Okay, okay, I give” said George amid fits of laughter. “Good morning, mom.”

“And a fine morning to you too” she replied. “Looks like you’re all ready.”

George sighed. It was a special occasion, so of course he had to dress appropriately. He wore a red, gold embroidered frock suit with the Firebrand symbol emblazoned at the back and the Antheusan Coat of Arms at the front. He also wore white stove pipe pants. On his feet were large, black, knee-length boots. His mother wore something similar, except hers was just a long red gown and pearly-white slippers.

“This outfit sucks” he complained, eliciting a bout of laughter from Rachel. “Why can’t ceremonial get-ups be more comfortable?”

“Better get used to it champ” she quipped. “By the looks of things we’ll be there for a while.”

  
The pride of Antheusa’s Royal castle, according to some pundits, wasn’t the throne room-even though that was quite big- but the throne itself. Set on a fifty foot high pedestal that was connected to the ground by a flight of stairs that led directly to it and framed by a radial edifice made entirely of gold, it was truly a sight to behold, especially in the morning. According to his uncle, the symbolism of the throne was twofold. First, it represented the glorious majesty of the person sitting on it as he looked down at his subjects. Secondly, the absurd flight of stairs showed that being king meant hard work and perseverance.

George looked quietly around. He was seated at the appropriate location, among the other noble children. Across the aisle sat other important members of the various noble families, including his mom. On the upper floor sat the heads of the noble families. Just behind where his mom was seated were two empty rows of chairs. Those chairs belonged to the Grigori, who almost never attended Royal gatherings. The Royal herald, dressed in elaborate finery, sat quietly by the corner, waiting for his cue.

_Man, this place is packed_ George thought. He had only been here twice in his life, and it had never been as full as this. Did this many people want to see what would unfold?

With a flourish, the Royal herald stood up. “Members of the Nobility” he announced loudly. “His Royal Highness, King Arnold the fifth!”

At that, everyone stood up in deference as the king strode into the room accompanied by his entourage of retainers. He was a tall, portly man in his forties with a full brown beard and a great head of hair, on top of which rested the glorious, golden, jewel-encrusted crown of Antheusa. Everything about him simply screamed “regal” and stately, like he was built specifically to be a king. His gait was dignified and deliberate, so it took some time before he finally sat down, after which everyone else sat.

The Royal herald gave a short bow to the king, who acknowledged it with a nod. Then he turned around. “Speaking to the court, the Headmaster of Antheusa’s School of Magic, Lord Zerastra!”

This time, no one stood up, as was customary. Zerastra strode into the room, accompanied by Malachi to his left and Anna to his right. He wasn’t dressed nearly as flamboyantly as the king or even most of the nobles, but his presence came with an aura of power so great everyone could feel it. His face was stern as usual, mixed with a dash of what seemed to George like- stress? What struck him, as well as the other nobles, the most was that none of the mages were dressed in anything outside of what they would normally wear. Even Anna was dressed in her usual outfit that showed as much of her heavily scarified skin as possible. At least she put a lovely flower in her hair.

The three of them knelt before the throne, lowering their heads, as was customary, until the king bade them to raise their heads.

“You may rise” said the king.

“The Court is now in session” the herald announced, after which he returned to his seat.

“I assume you know why you’re here, My Lord” said the king.

Zerastra took a deep breath before speaking. “Truthfully, your majesty, no.”

That elicited some murmuring amongst the audience. The Archmage continued after the noise had died down. “I have no idea why I am here, because I have done nothing wrong.”

The king snorted, adjusting his position on the seat. “I will be the judge of that.” He took a deep breath. “Lord Zerastra, I believe you are aware of the tragic fate that befell one Sir Andrew Ingles, a Scion of a sub branch of the Skythunder family.”

“A tragic fate indeed” Zerastra echoed.

“Well, some members of the Nobility are inclined to believe that you are, in some way, responsible for his demise. If not you personally, then one of your subordinates.” He adjusted in his seat. “So, with that said, I’d like to ask a simple question; where you responsible, and if so, why?”

Zerastra chuckled. “I don’t think that counts as a simple question, your highness.”

“The School of Magic is not in any way responsible for Sir Andrew’s demise” Malachi cut in before the king could speak. “We find this allegation to be completely ridiculous. We have had no prior engagement with the man. Hell, we didn’t even know he was coming until the day before, and if we had the power to overturn his decision to take students on such a dangerous quest, we would have done so without a second thought.” He paused for a while to let his words sink in. “Personally, I believe this whole thing smells like an attempt to vilify us.”

“If I may, my liege?” That came from a man wearing an immaculate white suit that accentuated his platinum blonde hair. His entire visage was the epitome of hard-earned respect and authority.

The king smiled. “Ah, Edward Skythunder, of course.”

Taking a short bow, he began. “Now, as the head of the Skythunder family it should come as no surprise that this situation personally affects me, and based on my own knowledge of the events that led to Sir Ingles' tragic and painful demise, I believe that Sir Malachi here-and by extension, Lord Zerastra- is being rather unfair with his assessment of the situation.”

Malachi's face darkened.

“Sir Malachi, my sources say that the five students who accompanied the deceased we’re saved by a teacher at the school; one 'Andraxes' am I correct?”

“Yes, you are” Malachi responded coldly, having figured out what he was doing.

“Good” Edward continued. “So, if that is the case, then how is it that he couldn’t save Sir Andrew Ingles as well?” That caused even more murmuring, enough that the herald had to quiet the audience. “They were all in the same place at the same time, yet Andraxes chose to save the children and leaves Ingles to die. Why is that?”

“Andraxes is a mage of the Master rank, but he is not all powerful” Malachi responded. “I can’t speak for what happened, but if, for any reason, he was forced to choose between the students and Sir Andrew, he made the correct choice. The safety of the students is our top priority.”

Edward Skythunder could feel the tides of sympathy swaying towards the mages after that little defense, which was, of course, what he expected. “But what if he did have a choice?” Edward countered. “I mean, after all, he most certainly didn’t fight the dragon. All he did was whisk them away. If he could do that for five children, why couldn’t he do the same for Sir Andrew?” He paused a bit before springing his trap. “Especially considering he, along with the students, was officially placed under your care.

More murmuring erupted from the audience, and this time it took more effort from the herald to silence them. Edward continued relentlessly. “From the way I see it, Andraxes' actions were either a result of incompetence or malice. I ask you, Lord Zerastra, do we have any reason to question the school’s competency, and if not, its loyalty?”

From the uproar his speech was generating, Edward knew that the crowd's heart was in his hands. He almost laughed.

Malachi was about to say something, but before he could, Anna interrupted with a loud “Ahem.”

All eyes were on her scantily clad form now. “If I may be so bold, my liege, I strongly request that we cut the bullshit.”

The whole room gasped in unison. Edward Skythunder's eyes narrowed. What was she up to?

“Miss…Anna, is it?” said the king, what exactly warrants such an…”

“With all due respect, my king, I think we’re all missing something.” She paused briefly to drive home her point. “ _Proof_ , hello people? All of Skythunder’s allegations are just that. He makes a lot of sense but without any proof he can’t go further than that.”

The Skythunder head felt insulted. “Miss Anna, I…”

“You really like hearing yourself talk, don’t you?” she retorted before he could even talk. “Well, Lord Edward, you can blab all you want, but without any evidence, you’re just all talk.”

The crowd murmured again, this time in favour of the mages. Edward growled. _Well_ , mages he thought. _You’ve left me with no choice._

“If that’s the case” said Edward “then I shall provide proof in the form of a first-hand account. Fortunately, one of the students is here with us, one George Firebrand?”

George, who had been dozing off the entire time, was jerked back to wakefulness at the mention of his name. He noticed that everyone was looking at him, for reasons he could not fathom. Then his name was called again. This time, he stood up, and as soon as he did, he realized what he was being called for.

“My king!” That urgent call came from none other than Rachel Firebrand. “With all due respect, George is still a child. He isn’t legally allowed to testify in court.”

“That is true” the king ruminated, stroking his beard.

“The law also states that that law can be waived in special situations” Edward cut in, not to be outdone.

Rachel glared angrily at him. “That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a child! You can’t just…”

“I understand your misgivings” Edward cut in. “In that case, he will require coaching.”

“So that you can force him to say what you want?” She snapped, her voice rising. “If you think I’m going to let you interrogate my child for a crime he didn’t commit…”

“You’re being ridiculous, woman” Skythunder said, raising his voice as well. “He isn’t going to get tortured if that’s what you…”

“ENOUGH!”

That bellow from the king was enough to get the two adults to shut up. The rest of the audience fell silent as well. With order restored, it was time to decisively end this point of contention. “I believe the boy can make such decisions on his own.”

“George Firebrand” the herald called. Meekly, he stepped out of the crowd and stood in front of the king. “Tell us, child” the king began. “Do you wish to testify?”

At first, George said nothing. He cast a glance at the Headmaster and his entourage, then at Edward Skythunder, then finally his mother. Then he made his decision.

“Ahem” that came from the herald, snapping George back to reality. He realized, embarrassingly, that he had been silent for quite a while, enough to draw concern. “No” he said, decisively. “I won’t be testifying.”

That sent the audience into a frenzy. Rachel gave a sigh of relief. Zerastra, Malachi and Anna gave no obvious indication of their stance on the decision- they weren’t even looking at George. Edward Skythunder, on the other hand, was beside himself with fury. His chance to indict the School as cleanly as possible was gone. Worse, the child was never going to willingly cooperate with him, especially with the confidence boost he just received from speaking his mind.

_If that’s the case_ he said in his head _then I will simply ensure he testifies of his own accord_.

“Very well then” said the king, mildly disappointed. “If that is all, then I declare this hearing adjourned till tomorrow. You are all dismissed.”

Unbeknownst to all the other people as they stood up to leave, Edward was smiling. _Very well,_ he thought. _Time for plan B_.

  
His mother had always told him that the real battles were fought not on the battlefield, but in the courtyard. “This is where everything is decided” she would always tell him whenever she told him how her day had been in the Royal Palace. George never understood what she meant by that, and he still didn’t, but judging by his current experience, it was far less boring than the court.

The courtyard was built around a spacious and beautiful garden. Marble paved walkways crisscrossed the garden, allowing visitors to peruse the topiary easily. Encircling the garden were four small pavilions that overlooked the garden, all of which were the same faded pink colour. George, alongside the rest of the children who hadn’t gone home, were in one such pavilion.

Being personally called out by the king had made George somewhat of a celebrity, and George, naturally, was quite okay with that. If there was one thing he liked, it was being in the spotlight.

“To be honest, I was pretty scared when the king called me” he recounted to his listeners. “The last thing I want to happen to me is get embroiled in some dumb feud.”

“A feud?” said a male listener.

“Duh!” That came from a girl. “Between the Skythunders and the Firebrands?”

“Well actually, it’s more between the school and the Nobility” George corrected. “But then, who knows? They might just be the same thing.”

“Why didn’t you testify, George?”

That was loud enough to distract him from his speech. He looked around frantically, searching for the person who said that, when his eyes settled on a white haired lad who had to be at least sixteen years of age. His electric blue eyes were almost painful to look at, and the fact that they were currently locked on to George with that smug smile on his face didn’t help. His pure white cloak made it pretty obvious, but the golden signet on his right middle finger revealed something more important; he was Buberic Skythunder, son of Edward Skythunder and heir to the Skythunder family.

George eventually managed to regain himself. “You’re…”

“Buberic Skythunder” the boy replied. “Son of Edward Skythunder and heir to the…”

“Were you the one who said that?” said George.

Buberic frowned. He most certainly disliked being interrupted, especially by someone like him. Nevertheless, he had a job to do, so he had to keep his cool for the time being.

“Yeah, I did.” Buberic continued. “If you had spoken this whole thing would have been over. All you had to do was say something, but you didn’t. I wanna know why.”

George's brow furrowed. The hostility coming out of his statement was almost tangible; it was like he was looking for a fight. The others sensed it too, so they just spectated silently, wanting to see how things would play out.

“It’s none of your business” George replied. “Go bother someone else.”

“Too much of a chicken to talk?”

The brief moment of silence, accompanied with the expression on his face told Buberic everything he needed to know. _Guess dad was right_ he thought. _That really did hit a nerve._

“I’m not afraid of anything” George responded coldly.

“Really, cuz I don’t see it” Buberic continued. “From the way I see it, you were too much of a coward to say anything.”

Now, George was fuming. “You better watch it, pal.”

“Hey, calm down” said a boy next to him. “I think he’s just trying to get you upset.”

George grunted. The funny thing was, he knew he was baiting him, and he probably had an idea why. Even so…he couldn’t. He just couldn’t stand someone calling him a coward.

“Why are you doing this?” a girl asked.

“Why?” Buberic replied, raising his voice in order to feign anger. “It’s because a Skythunder member died, and he’s responsible.”

“Hey, I didn’t kill Sir Andrew, the dragon did!”

“You were part of the reason he had to fight it!” said the sixteen year old. “That makes you guilty by association!”

“You can’t prove anything” said George, defensively.

Buberic shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t have to if you had just spoken in front of the king, but you didn’t, because you’re a coward.”

George marched angrily towards him, despite the crowd’s protests, until they were face-to-face with each other. Enough was enough. “Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

Buberic smiled. All according to plan. “Tell you what, how about we settle things properly.” He looked George straight in the eye. “Tomorrow by six in the morning. At the old playground. You and me. A Wizard Duel. If you win, I’ll leave you alone. If I win, you have to testify tomorrow.” He extended a hand. “Well?”

That word sent shivers down all their spines, including George. A Wizard Duel had serious implications. With two people blasting away at each other with magical spells, the Duel could very well end with one of them dead. But he had come this far, he couldn’t back down now.

“George!” someone called out, that person being the coach driver. “It’s time to go!”

“Oh, uh, I’ll be there in a minute” George replied, then he faced the significantly taller Buberic and took his hand. “Deal.”

  
_He was sitting down near the edge of a small outcropping which overlooked a seemingly endless plain of ripe wheat, swaying around under the setting sun like a sea of liquid gold. Nothing much was going through his mind at the moment, just that he found the sight…soothing. A heavy arm draped over his shoulders. He turned right to see the person and smiled. It was his Dad._

_“Hey, Dad” he asked “what’s bravery?”_

_“Bravery, huh?” He replied somewhat. His_ _great red mane fluttered with the breeze as he thought. “Hmm, that’s a tough one. I think the meaning of bravery is…well… to stand your ground when others won’t. To keep going even when everyone tells you not to, and to stick to your beliefs and values no matter what.”_

_“I see.” George took some time to reflect on what he just heard, then he turned towards his Dad. “Dad, I wanna be brave just like you when I’m big.”_

_Then he laughed. His laughter filled the air and filled little George’s mind, merging with everything else until it became a confusing cacophony of noises and laughter, accompanied by the chiming of a clock._

The alarm had stopped by the time George woke up. Groggily, he got up from the bed and rubbed his eyes- he wasn’t used to waking up this early. Slowly, he recollected the events that led to the situation he was in, and then his dream.

Sighing loudly, he began to change, all the while thinking about how he was going to beat Buberic. The guy was three whole years older than he was, and while he wasn’t quite an Initiate Major, he was close. George concluded that he was probably in over his head, but he didn’t have a choice.

After he was done dressing, he closed his eyes and began to recite the words. A faint blue light enveloped him as the minor protection against magic took effect. He didn’t know how long it would last against someone like Buberic, but it was at least worth a try. With that done, he rummaged through his wardrobe, searching for the rope he’d normally use to climb out the window when he wanted to sneak out to see his friends. Just as he found it, something clattered onto the ground. George picked it up and sighed. It was an old painting of him, his mother and his father together. He smiled, knowing that he had to have to had been at most four when that painting was made. They all looked so happy together.

_I'm brave, dad. I’m courageous just like you. You wait and see._

Reverently, he placed the painting on his bed and, with renewed resolve, strode towards the window.

  
“You know, I’m actually impressed” said Buberic as soon as he layed eyes on George. “I didn’t think you’d have the guts to show up.”

“And I didn’t you were the kind of person who dressed fancy for a fight” George retorted. Buberic wore an expensive white coat with blue trimmings and a fancy blue shirt with white trousers underneath.

Buberic chuckled dangerously as he picked up a stone. “Trust me, kid, this won’t be a fight.”

George smiled as well, picking up his own stone. “Ready?”

“Whenever you are.”

“One”

“Two”

“Three!”

They tossed their stones straight up in the air, with their hitting the ground signalling the beginning of the Wizard Duel.

George attacked first, a fireball emerging from his hand. With a grunt, he hurled it straight at his opponent. Buberic, however, merely smiled and, with an effortless swing of his hand, dissipated the fireball like a candle.

_What the…_

“If that’s all you’ve got” said Buberic, raising his hands on either side “then it’s my turn.

To George’s horror, not one, but eight fireballs manifested around the Skythunder, a sadistic smile spreading on his face. With one fierce motion, he sent them all flying towards him.

George jumped, ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the fireballs, but evade them all he did. He had scarcely regained his footing when Buberic prepared his next attack. He began his incantation, a neon blue pentagram enclosed by a rune circle manifesting on his outstretched palm as he did so. George, upon looking up, recognized it as a second tier Arcane Magic spell to boost the power of an existing spell.

“Eat this, Firebrand!” he yelled as his body became enveloped in a white aura. Then, from the same palm, a powerful gust of wind erupted, sending George flying backwards several feet and landing on his back.

George got up weakly. _Darn_ he thought. _Maybe I really am over my head. But I can’t lose now._ Then an idea came to him.

“Well, you wanna give up?” Buberic taunted as he walked towards George. Then the younger lad knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on the ground. At first, Buberic thought he was actually giving up, then she saw the gas rising from the ground.

What’s this? Buberic thought as the gas became so thick he could barely see. _Is this poison? No, steam! That’s what this is._ He silently congratulated George in spite of himself. _Using Elemental Magic to identify the water around him then using Alchemy to lower its boiling temperature? I have to say, not bad for a novice._

He barely noticed the fireball hurtling towards his side. Growling, he destroyed it just as easily as he did the first one, but that was what George was going for. The fireball distracted him just long enough for George to get near him and, with all his strength, tackle him to the ground. Buberic never saw it coming. Now straddling him, George, with a loud cry, let loose a barrage of punches on his face, not letting up once. Buberic, in spite of the assault, managed to weave an Elemental spell and blow George off him.

“YOU BASTARD!” he managed to get out in spite of his bruised, swollen face. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

Just like before, he let loose eight fireballs at once, and an exhausted, disoriented George barely managed to avoid them, but something was wrong. He did not hear the usual exploding sound that they made when they landed. Then he looked around himself, and saw himself surrounded by eight fireballs.

With a loud cry, Buberic clasped his hands together, and all eight balls came flying towards George. The resulting explosion lit up the daybreak sky.

George was lucky. If it weren’t for his protection spell, that would have killed him instantly. As it was, he was left with numerous third-degree burns all over his body. He crumpled to the floor, barely conscious of the Skythunder walking towards him.

“You…you’re just a filthy coward!” Buberic spat in-between gasps for air. Then he raised his hand above his head. “You’re a coward, and a weakling who hangs out with peasants and witches!” A fireball manifested from his raised hand; one that was almost ten times as large as the ones he made before.

George used the last of his strength to look up at the flaming ball of death. Dang it he thought. Guess this is it, huh? A single tear fell from his left eye. Sorry…dad.

The ball never landed. Just before he could drop it, it disappeared from his hand, and from the way it vanished, it had to be from an outside force.

“Huh, what the…”

“That’s enough, Buberic!” That came, surprisingly, from none other than Theodore Skythunder as he marched angrily towards the two of them. “Stand down.”

Not too long afterwards, a carriage surrounded by an armed detail appeared. “George” she screamed as soon as the carriage came to a halt. Her heart skipped a beat once she saw her precious son lying on the ground at death's door. Without even thinking, she ran towards him, only to be stopped by tendrils of blinding light that enveloped him. By the time she opened her eyes again, the tendrils had taken the shape of a huge, ethereal swan, with George placed gently on its back.

“He’s badly hurt, Rachel” said the woman standing beside Rachel. He was blonde, petite and wore a maroon ball gown with black frills around the collar. She was holding a long, flower-tipped stalk. Her name was Amelia, and she was a mage of the Firebrand family. “If you touch him you could hurt him further.”

Rachel cursed silently, but she knew the mage was right. “Take him home” Amelia commanded, and without hesitation, the swan took to the air and flew off, giving them full view of the two Skythunder scions.

Rachel was beside herself with rage. “You…you did this!”

“We are extremely sorry for this unfortunate predicament, Lady Rachel” Theodore recited, bowing deeply to her.

“That’s it?” said Rachel, getting even madder. “That’s all you have to say? That you’re sorry? That little monster almost killed my son you sonofa…”

“It’s okay, ma’am” said Amelia. “We have to leave.”

Rachel growled, but acquiesced. “Just wait till the king hears of this” she threatened. Then she spat on the ground and turned away. Theodore stood silently as the carriage left.

“The little runt deserved it” said Buberic. “He tried to…”

“That’s enough out of you!” Theodore bellowed, shocking him. “Tell me, did your father put you up to this?”

Buberic nodded fearfully.

Theodore growled, then sighed in resignation. “Let’s go” he said, then opened a portal. He could only hope the repercussions didn’t hurt his image in the school.

  
The smell of aromatic herbs woke George up. At this stage, even opening his eyes was a chore, much less sitting up. Judging by the appearance of the ceiling, he concluded that he had to be in some sort of cottage. With great effort, he turned his head right to see a short table filled with vials of all sorts of shapes and sizes, containing things he could only guess at. Finally, he attempted getting up; and found that he couldn’t.

“You're awake.”

George didn’t recognize the voice. “Who’s there?”

“Relax. My name is Amelia.” She stood directly beside him so that he could see her face. “I’m a mage of the Firebrand family, much like you.”

Again, George tried moving, but this time Amelia placed a small hand on his chest. “You can’t move right now. You’ve been restrained.” She answered the obvious follow-up question before it was asked. “Your moving around would disrupt the healing process.”

Healing process. It finally came flooding back. All the events that led to him having to be restrained and healed.

“It would seem she’s awake as well” said Amelia. At first he wondered who she was talking about, then he heard the familiar “George” he had heard over a million times in his life. With great effort, he turned his head to face her. From her appearance, she must have spent the night here.

“M-Mom.”

“George! Thank goodness you’re alright!” She hugged him the best she could given his situation, but in spite of the pain that exploded through him once she touched him, he was fine.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a while” Amelia said, then went into an inner room.

The two were silent for a while, then Rachel spoke, softly. “What were you thinking?”

George was confused at first, but he soon understood what she meant by that. “I had to, mom, I had to. He called me out. He insulted me, called me a coward. Sure I knew he was stronger than me, but I couldn’t just…couldn’t just let him get away with that.”

“And you think that excuses what you did?” said Rachel. The emotion in her voice was overwhelming. “He could have _killed_ you! You’re telling me you’d throw away your life because of your stupid pride?!”

“It’s what dad would’ve done.”

Upon hearing that, Rachel's anger faded completely. She understood now why he had done that.

“When someone dies, the best thing you can do for them is to do right by them” said Rachel. “Those were your father’s words.”

Rachel sighed, trying to think of what to say. “George, your father…my husband, was a great man. He was a strong mage, he was kind, just and brave.” She closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she was about to say. “But now he’s dead. Gone from this world. Gone from us, George. He left us alone.”

George was confused. “W-What are you trying to say? That he died for nothing?”

Rachel placed her hand on George’s shoulder. “I’m not saying that he died for nothing, I’m saying that he didn’t have to go like that. You can’t protect anyone if you’re dead.”

Rachel leaned closer to him. “When the Silverwater family tried to destroy us, your father was one of the first to suggest that we bring the fight to them. Today, he’s hailed as the hero of the Firebrand.” She paused for a while. “What most people don’t know is that some allies from other families and even the School of Magic offered to aid him, but he refused. 'This is our problem, so we’ll fix it' he said, and at the time, many of us believed he was doing the brave thing. But now, even though he succeeded, he’s dead, and his death hurt us, the people who…who…”

Rachel paused to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I-I’m sorry. Sorry about that” she said, chuckling weakly. “Look, the point I’m trying to make is that pride and courage aren’t excuses to do foolish things that will hurt you or the people you love.”

With that, she stood up. “I better go. Amelia’s still treating you and she won’t come in till I leave.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead before she exited the room.

A few seconds later, Amelia entered the room. “Is she gone?”

“Yeah, she is” George responded.

“Good” she replied, then she began to rummage through a cupboard. “I managed to stabilize you before, so now I can begin the treatment proper.” After bringing out the things she was looking for, she moved towards him. “I’ll have to put you to sleep, though. Are you okay with that?”

“Sure” he replied.

“Good” she said, and with that, she raised her hand just above his eyes. George’s last thoughts before slipping into lucidity were on how selfish he had been. He vowed to never be that selfish again.


	10. We Are Pariah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grigori occupy a precarious place in society. As reviled by the world as they are necessary to it, they must perform their duty to the world even as it chastises them. This is what Lora must come to terms with, and, hopefully, overcome.

  
Lora strolled silently down the dimly lit hallway, a plume of fire her only source of illumination. The huge, foreboding walls lined with baroque paintings and sculptures gave the place a forbidding air; which, of course, was exactly how the hallway's inhabitants preferred it.

Upon coming across a vase set upon a pedestal, Lora remembered a little prank she and her brother used to do. Quietly, she picked up the vase and laid it down on the floor. Then she waited.

Just like clockwork, the vase was lifted off the ground by an invisible force and placed back on the pedestal. The faint cat-like hiss that followed got a giggle out of her. The creature that lifted it revealed itself for a split second- a vile-looking bipedal beast with long pointed ears, a long pointed nose and a short tail that ended in a spike. The creature was an Imp, a species of Lesser demons. A bunch of them had been bound by her father into cleaning the hallways. However, they disliked light, especially sunlight, which was why the hallways were always shrouded in darkness.

With that bit of fun done, she trudged on towards her destination. Inwardly, she hoped breakfast would be quiet.

  
It wasn’t.

On either end of the long table were her mother, Margaret, and her father, Tobias. On the left. Lora and her brother were seated. And facing the two were her uncle, Elias, and Erena, a family friend. The mere fact that her uncle and her mother were in the same room was enough to turn breakfast into a discussion/interrogation.

“Y’know something, I can’t remember the last time I was in the capital” said Elias, in-between chomping down on an apple. “The only thing I really remember from being there is this…this feeling that you’re being watched, you know?”

“I know, right?” said Erena while working on a piece of mutton. “I went there a few weeks back, and there was this one man who kept…following me everywhere. It was creepy. I’m surprised how your daughter manages to keep her sanity.”

That last statement was directed towards Margaret, who promptly answered. “Well, to be fair, she spends most of her time in the school…”

“Yeah, but is it any different?” Erena cut in.

“Yes, actually” said Lora this time. “The school is quite accommodating. Both the students and the teachers don’t bother me about my heritage at all.” As she said that, memories of her first two days in the school resurfaced. Those were outliers she thought.

Tobias audibly dropped his cutlery. “Hans. You've seen her yourself fairly recently. Do you think your sister is doing okay?”

Hans smiled. “Well, I’ll admit. I still have my misgivings about her being there, but I think she’ll be fine.” His voice took on some emotion. “She’s made some great friends.”

“I heard the two of you were attacked by the townsfolk that day.”

That took both Lora and Hans by surprise. They had both agreed to never tell their parents about that. How did their father know?

“Listen, Lora. We know why you decided to hide that from your father and I, and we understand why you chose to take this path, but you need to understand that we love you, and your safety is our greatest concern.” Margaret paused for a bit. “We can’t let you stay on in the school if we felt you weren’t safe.”

“I understand, mom” said Lora, softly. “But I also understand that what I’m doing will ultimately help the Grigori world over. Besides, like Hans said, I’ve got some really helpful friends. So you just have to accept that, for what it’s worth, I’m going to be fine.”

Erena smiled. Inwardly, she admired what a strong heart the Blackhound heiress had, and she was sure her mother felt the same way. Tobias, on the other hand, seemed far less convinced.

As if to confirm her thoughts, he got up abruptly. “Well, the meal was enjoyable. If you don’t mind, I’ll be off.” With the way he left, one could be forgiven for thinking he was sent out of the table.

Lora sighed. “I think he’s angry with me.”

“He just needs some time to himself” said Margaret.

“Nah. He’s always been a stooge” Elias chirped. “Hey, have I ever told you why you’re dad’s hair’s white while Lora’s and mine is red?”

“Yes, you have, uncle” said Hans. Hundreds of times he said internally.

“I haven’t heard of it” said Lora.

Margaret sighed. Here we go again.

“Great!” said Elias, clasping his hands together. “Let me start from the beginning. It was a long time ago. In fact, he wasn’t much older than…”

“Hey, Lora” Erena interrupted. “Did you know that Iago is around.”

At first, Lora’s face registered surprise, then a huge smile spread across her face. “No way!” she almost yelled. “I have to go see him! Uh, thanks for the meal. Bye!” She literally ran out of the place.

Margaret chuckled. “She really likes Iago, doesn’t she. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone like their mentor that much.”

“What was that for?” Elias complained. “I hadn’t even started yet.”

“No one wants to listen to a lengthy eulogy on how your brother’s hair turns white” Erena retorted. “I’ll just tell her myself.”

“Wait, you’re going now?”

“Indeed.” Then she got up. “I’ve got business with Iago too. See ya.”

“I should get going as well” said Margaret, then she left as well.

“Don’t we have somewhere to be, uncle?” Hans asked.

Elias sighed. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”

  
Iago wasn’t doing anything for the time being, so he decided to spend what free time he had reading a book in the library. After a lifetime of fighting, he had long since learned to appreciate quiet moments such as this.

“Master Iago” called a familiar voice. Iago sighed and closed the book he was reading. On one hand, he didn’t want to be disturbed, but the voice put a smile on his face.

“Master Iago!” cried Lora once she saw him. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man whose bronzed skin, black bearskin coat and overall grizzled appearance made him seem more like an army veteran than the master of Magecraft that he was. The hair on his head and beard had gone silver with age. His left eye, long since lost to a demon, was covered with an ornate black eye patch, while his right eye bore the familiar mark of the Grigori.

“Well look who’s all grown up” he said, getting up from his chair. He was immediately assaulted by a surprise hug from the younger Grigori. Iago flinched; he wasn’t used to any form of physical contact greater than a handshake, at least during the day.

“Okay, you can let go now” he said, trying to hide his discomfort. Giggling, she let him go. “Your father told me you’ve enrolled in the school.” He chuckled. “To think you actually followed through with that crazy plan of yours.”

“So what brings you here?” she asked. As soon as she said that, Erena walked into the room.

“I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?”

“No. Not at all” Iago responded. “In fact, you came at just the right time.” He turned to Lora. “Erena and I are about to set off on a demon hunting expedition. I wanted to see the family before I left.”

That undoubtedly caught her attention. No one was better at tracking down and banishing demons like the Grigori. In fact, because of their special curse, they were the authority on all things demon related. Demon summoning, banishing, taxonomy, name it. They were the only ones capable of summoning demons without twenty-odd hours of incantations with two days of ablutions preceding that. This was what earned them a special place in mage society, and the scorn of everyone else.

“Oh” Lora responded. “So, what kind is it?”

“Nothing much, really” said Erena. “A pack of fomori are infesting a small town east of here.”

“I see” said Lora. She knew that individually, fomori weren’t very strong, but a bunch of them could prove annoying.

“Fomori” Iago spat. “Disgusting little cretins. Annoying too. Depending on how it goes we could be there for more than a day.”

“Hey” Lora began. “Do you think I could join you?”

“E-Excuse me?” Erena asked, taken aback. “You want to come with us? Whatever for?”

“I think it’ll be a great experience for me” Lora replied. “Besides, I’ll have to go on demon hunts at some point, so why not get some experience now?”

“But you’re so young!” said Erena. “Most people go on their first hunts at sixteen. You’re barely thirteen!”

“Erena.” Iago cut in. “Personally, I think she’s ready.”

Erena was aghast. “What!?”

“Think about it. She’s just as skilled in magic as a sixteen year old would be if not more so. She’ll be fine. I am the one who trained her, after all.”

Erena simply stood, dumbfounded. “We should simply ask her father” Iago continued. “If he agrees, then we’ll take her. If not, then we’ll proceed as usual. Deal?”

She looked long and hard at Iago, then at Lora. Then she sighed. “Alright, fine.”

Lora breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Erena!” Then she moved to hug her, but she stopped her.

“No way, Little Miss. I don’t do hugs”

  
Just as planned, the coach reached the town by midnight, when everyone was sure to be asleep. Iago looked out the window at the pretty little buildings and the magic-powered street lights. The place honestly looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale. It most certainly didn’t look like a place infested with demons.

But then again, looks could be deceiving.

Eventually, they stopped at a quaint looking inn- the Brown Flower, it was called. Iago was sure that was some sort of innuendo, but he didn’t know what. Personally, he hoped this wasn’t a glorified brothel, because this was their destination.

“Is this the place?” Erena asked.

“Without a doubt” he replied. “Wake the girl up. She should get a proper sleep in the inn.”

Quietly, she woke Lora up. “We’re here.”

“W-We’re here?” she responded, groggily.

“That’s right, lass” said Iago. He was still surprised at how easily her father let her go. He had always known Tobias Blackhound as a stubborn old goat, but it seemed he was but a gentle lamb when his only daughter was involved.

The carriage, as magic-powered carriages did, opened up by itself. Just outside the door was the innkeeper. He was a small, nondescript man, and he wore a nervous smile on his face.

“We’re glad to have you, Mr. Grimaldi” he said.

“Good” Iago responded. “Don’t bother with the luggage, we'll handle it ourselves. Did you get the special room service I asked for?”

“Yes, we have” said the innkeeper. “Would you like a warm meal, or a bath?”

“Run the bath, skip the meal, especially for the little one.” He was, of course, referring to Lora.

“Of course.”

“We’ll have the meal tomorrow, brought up to our rooms” Iago continued. “We’ll be gone after that, regardless of whether or not our mission succeeds. The last thing we want is too much attention drawn to ourselves.”

“Of course, sir” said the innkeeper.

Iago waited until the other two had gone into the building before he did. They were Grigori, pariahs who held court with demons. It was their fate to be shunned by society, but he didn’t want anything happening to an innocent man and his business simply because of their presence. That was why he had taken so many precautions. He only hoped it would be enough.

  
Early the next day, the three of them set off to find the demons, dressed in the large black cloak that was the symbol of the Grigori. Lora’s cloak was gold-rimmed while Iago and Erena's were purple-rimmed, signifying their different families. They decided to start their search on a hill overlooking the town.

“Excuse me Sir, but what are we doing here?” Lora asked.

“Well, in order to banish the demon, we must first find it, right?” Iago responded.

“Yeah, but why are we here? Outside the town?” She placed extra emphasis on the “outside the town” bit.

“Well, it’s a good vantage point if you ask me” he responded again. “Do you still remember how to do spirit detection?”

“Oh, uh, of course” said Lora, then she closed her eyes and focused. When she opened them again, they had taken on a purple hue, indicating her use of the Spirit Detection spell. It combined elements of second tier Arcane and Spirit Magic that allowed one to not only see spirits but see the trails of magical energy they left behind. This particular version of the spell was for demons, and Lora could see trails of demonic essence everywhere.

“Fomori are creatures of rot and decay” Erena began. “They usually go around causing diseases and spoiling food. Nasty little creatures.”

“What do you think brought them here?” Lora asked.

“Could be anything, really” Iago replied. “Botched summoning, deliberate malfeasance, a dimensional rift from hell, a lot of things. But that’s not our responsibility. Ours is to solve the case. Finding out who or what did it and remedying it is the job of the Shadow Hunters.”

Lora nodded. The Shadow Hunters were a group of Grigori who were specifically tasked with making sure demons didn’t illegally enter the physical plane. Most of the time, however, it meant finding and destroying mages who broke the strict laws on demon summoning. Becoming a Shadow Hunter was not something one did lightly, as it was a lifetime commitment.

“Well” he began “we have a trail, let’s get going.”

  
The first one they encountered was smack in the middle of the market place. Lora considered all the people around them lucky, because they didn’t have to lay eyes on the monstrosity that stood before them. It was a shapeless blob with spindly arms and legs and a gaping maw filled with rows and rows of sharp, serrated teeth. Its skin looked dirty and oily, with pus- filled sores all over its body. Its strangely humanoid eyes were jaundiced and seemed to be oozing something black. As soon as it lay eyes on them, it let out a horrible screech.

“So that’s a…”

“Indeed, Lora” said Iago. Then, without missing a beat, he stretched out a hand and began speaking. Then a white glowing magic circle with inward-pointing spokes appeared around the demon, which screamed loudly once the circle began to spin. Lora recognized the spell; the Spirit Banishing. Within seconds, the nasty creature was nothing but ethereal ash.

“One down” he declared.

Lora stared in suppressed awe at how easily he dispatched the demon. Erena was more concerned with the crowd that had gathered around them. She leaned closer to him. “We’ve made a scene, Iago.”

“I know” he responded, and nothing more.

Erena was unconvinced. “But what if something happens and…”

“If we spend time worrying about the townsfolk, we’ll never be done with this assignment” Iago cut in. “We keep going as planned. Understood?”

Reluctantly, she nodded. “Fine” she said “but don’t forget we're with a child.”

  
By high afternoon, the three of them decided to take a break in a popular tavern. Fortunately, the place was almost empty, so Erena was able to relax properly without looking over her shoulder every two seconds.

“So that makes eight now” said Iago as he poured himself a cup of wine he had the barkeep bring.

“When will we know we’ve caught them all?” Lora asked.

“When the place stops stinking of demonic essence.” He took a swig of the wine. “Hmm, this is good. Good stuff.”

A waitress made her way towards their table carrying a plate of food on either hand. “Looks like your orders are here” Iago announced, adjusting his seat. “We have an hour to eat up and rest. We have to complete this before sundown.”

They had scarcely began eating when the bar door was kicked open, startling all of them. Before the barkeep could say anything, a mob stormed into the room, surrounding the three Grigori.

“Hey, w-what's going on?” said Lora.

“You people need to leave” said an elderly man who was evidently the leader of the mob.

“Alright then” said Iago, getting up. “Erena, Lora, take what you can. We’re leaving…”

“You don’t seem to get it” the elderly man interrupted. “When I said leave, I meant leave the town. Get out.”

Iago sighed. He didn’t have time for this. He knew, without a doubt, that this would happen, but he wasn’t leaving until the assignment had been completed.

“Hold on, I don’t get it” Lora interjected, taking everyone by surprise. “I think there’s a misunderstanding. We we’re just…”

“A man died today” the man announced. “Torn to pieces by the same abominations that have been popping up all over the place ever since you got here.”

Lora was dumbstruck. The demon had claimed a life. But why? Nevertheless, she had to say something. “No, you don’t understand. We were trying to…”

“That’s enough, Lora” Iago barked.

“But…”

“Lora.” That came from Erena, who placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stop.”

“For the last time” the man announced “leave!” The others began to brandish the various weapons they were holding. Lora clenched her fists. They really were going to make them leave the place, one way or another.

Iago, completely unruffled, closed his eyes. “My apologies, sir, but we can’t do that.” Then he began to speak.

Lora could not hear a single word he was saying. Neither could Erena, but she knew exactly what he was doing. At first nothing happened, then the entire mob seemed to tremble in unison. Lora watched in horror as the blood began pouring out first from their ears, then their mouths, then their eyes. Even the barkeep was not spared. They all collapsed on the ground, convulsing violently.

“Master Iago?”

He turned around to face them, just in time to see the cesspool of darkness that had become his eyes fade away to normalcy; a side effect of Demonic Magic, the magic practiced by Demons.

“We don’t have much time” he said. “Let’s move.”

  
Lora desperately wanted to talk to Iago. To ask him why he resorted to such an extreme measure against non-mages. To ask him why he didn’t even attempt to explain their situation to them. Unfortunately, she couldn’t at the moment, as something far more pressing was occurring, and they noticed it the moment they stepped out of the bar.

“All the demon essence” said Lora. “I-It’s gone!”

Erena cursed inaudibly. “Not gone, child, but gathered into one place.”

Now she was even more confused. “Gathered? Why would they do that?”

Lora was answered by a cacophony of screams erupting from their right. The three of them rushed over to see what it was, and Iago cursed as soon as he did. This was the worst case scenario.

The creature was, by and large, a man. Except his skin was bulging and rippling like a sack full of rabbits. His eyes had turned yellow and green sores erupted all over his naked body. He swayed and staggered like a drunken man, and everything he touched disintegrated into ash in seconds.

“Just as I feared.” Iago said. “The demons have taken notice of our actions. So they’ve joined forces to stop us.”

Lora couldn’t even respond, horrified as she was by the monstrosity before her. The aura he was emitting was so foul it corrupted everything around him, meaning they probably all possessed him at once.

“Master Iago, what do we do?”

“That’s the problem, lass” he stated. “We can’t perform Spirit Banishing if they’re all inside his body, so the first thing we have to do is get them out.”

“Of course, the easiest way to do that would be to simply kill the man.” That sentence, which left Lora mortified, came from Erena.

“But we don’t want to do that” Iago continued. “So we go with the next best thing; knocking him out. That’s were you come in, Lora.”

Lora didn’t think she could be more flabbergasted than she already was, until now. “Wait, you want me to fight that?”

“Exactly” he replied. “You’re the only one who can fight it without killing the man inside.”

“But…”

“Come now, Lora. You’re my protégé. This should be no problem for you.”

Lora took another good look at the possessed man advancing towards them and sighed. She was the one who urged him to take her, so it was only fair that she pulled her weight. _Fine then, I’ll just have to do my best._

The creature stopped just short of twenty feet in front of them. _You want to destroy us_ it said in a hundred raspy voices.

Lora stepped forward, steeling herself. “Fomori, let this man go at once.” Iago always said that demons responded best to an authoritative tone. Maybe it might even be enough to dissuade them from attacking.

The man hissed. _If you think we will give in without a fight, think again, little girl._

It lunged at her like a rabid animal, with foam trailing from its mouth. Without missing a beat, Lora sent out a gust of wind, stopping it in its tracks. Before it could recover, she prepared a sizeable rock using Elemental Magic and flung it at him. It struck him cleanly on the chest, sending him flying backwards and on his back.

“Yes, that’s it, Lora” said Iago. “If you hurt him enough the demons will have no choice but to escape, and that’s when we’ll nab him.”

“We should get ready” said Erena to Iago. “We want to catch it as soon as it gets out.”

“Of course.”

Again and again, the unfortunate man tried to get her, and again and again it failed. The demonic possession made him much stronger and faster, but even that wasn’t enough. Finally, it picked up a piece of broken timber, which began to rot as soon as he touched it, and threw it at her like a spear; a spear infused with its essence of rot. But Lora, using wind, was not only able to stop the advancing projectile, but send it back. Before the surprised man could even react, the wood struck him cleanly on the forehead. He staggered a bit, then fell down, unconscious.

“NOW!” Iago yelled once black smoke began to emerge from the man’s mouth. Both he and Erena raised their hands, and the Spirit Banishing spell appeared around the cloud. A cacophony of screams rang through the air as the cloud trembled violently, then disappeared. Then, all was quiet.

Iago breathed a sigh of relief. They had been able to catch all of them in good time and with minimal casualties. Now all we need to do is get out of here as quickly as possible he thought

Lora had other plans, unfortunately. Before he had even realized it, she rushed over to the previously possessed man. His body was still covered in all the afflictions, and it had no doubt taken a toll on his soul.

“Lora, what are you doing?” said Iago, now annoyed.

“He needs healing, Master” she replied.

He was about to give an angry retort, but then he saw the look on her face. It wasn’t defiance, but determination. She was determined to save the life of a complete stranger. One who would probably swear eternal vengeance on them after this whole incident.

Then, as if to make matters worse, Erena decided to join her. “We can’t heal him properly here” she said, placing a hand on Lora’s shoulder. “But at least we can give him this.” She brought out a small vial containing a red liquid. “This’ll heal the superficial damage. It’s the best we can do given the circumstances.”

“Thanks” said Lora, and with great care, she gave him the potion. “Here. This will heal you. We’re sorry for the inconveniences caused by the demons.”

Iago was more preoccupied with the growing group of people surrounding them, thinking out a plan of action should they decide to lynch them. However, no one had made a move even after the two of them were through with the man. He took a better look at the crowd and realized why; fear. They were too afraid of them to attack, and, as far as Iago was concerned, that was a good thing.

“If you two are done,” he announced “we should get going at once.”

  
The sky had turned golden with the setting sun by the time they were ready to leave. The carriage, for the safety of the innkeeper, was parked a fair distance from the inn. Erena was almost certain that people would connect the dots and figure out that the innkeeper had hosted them, but that was no longer their concern. Right now, their most pressing concern was getting their things into the carriage.

“Hey, Master Iago” Lora called. “I think I forgot something. I’ll be back real soon.”

“Go ahead. But don’t take too long.”

Before she had gone five feet away from there, however, he called her attention.

“Yes, Master Iago?”

He deliberately waited before speaking. “Do you realize your actions today put us in danger?”

She became downcast. She knew they were going to talk about that at some point, but so soon? “I didn’t do anything wrong, Master. All I did was try to help someone in need.”

Iago turned round to face her. “Lora, do you want to know why I convinced your parents to let you go to the mage school?” He paused before responding to that rhetorical question. “It was so that you would learn for yourself that as a Grigori, you will be hated and vilified for no reason other than your heritage, no matter what you do. We are the Watchers, who straddle the line between mankind and hell so that others don’t have to. As long as people hate and fear demons, they will hate and fear us as well. That’s just how it is.”

“But we’re not demons!” said Lora, raising her voice. “We’re people just like they are. It’s not like we made a choice to become Grigori. Any reasonable person would see that.”

Iago sighed, then made to get into the carriage. “Well, you’re right. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that reason is surprisingly uncommon among humans.” He cast one last look at her. “You should simply give up, before you get hurt.”

Lora sighed. Having nothing else to say, she went on her way. But she refused to believe him. She knew that people hated the Grigori simply because they existed, but their isolationist policy was a catalyst for that hatred. We need to stop hiding from the world she said internally. If they know who we really are, they’ll be more accepting of us. I’m sure of it.

She was just about to enter the place when someone called out to her. “Hey” the person said. Lora turned around to see a young boy in worn clothes whose facial expression Lora couldn’t quite read.

“C-Can I help you with…”

Before she could finish, the boy extended a hand, and in it was a flower.

Now Lora was truly confused. “Is this…for me?”

“Take it” he said. “You saved my dad’s life. Thank you.”

“Oh” she breathed. The possessed man. That was his son.

Reverently, she collected the flower, after which he immediately ran away in the opposite direction. Unbeknownst to him, he just made someone very, very happy.


	11. Arcadian Tales (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While George and Lora go on their own personal journeys, Finn and Edward set off on an unforgettable adventure in the Land of the Fairies; Arcadia!

  
_Dear Mom and Dad._

_How are things going with you guys? I sure hope you’re okay. How’s Claire? You said she came down with something in your last letter. I sure hope she’s doing better. I know it’s been a while since I last wrote, and I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been so busy, what with school and studying and all that, and I just get real tired afterwards. But in case you don’t know, it’s the mid-semester break, so I’ve got more time to write to you guys, so I better use it wisely._

_This school is amazing, mom and dad. There are so many things about the world that I didn’t know that I know now. For example, did you know that there’s a dragon living not too far from here? Crazy, right? My friends and I went on an expedition to see the thing. It was super scary and we almost died. But we made it out okay. I’ve also learnt a lot of spells like Fireball and Gust of wind. I can change my hair, eye and even skin colour, not to mention I can teleport a few feet. Not really flashy, but it’s serviceable._

_Anyways, my friend Edward and I are about to go on a super special diplomatic mission to the land of the Fairies. I’m not exactly sure why it’s so important, but Lee (that’s the teacher who’s taking us, by the way) says it is, and I believe him. Hopefully, if I’m lucky, I can bring back some souvenirs from the Fairies. Now wouldn’t that be swell!_

_How’s the farm doing? I read in the news that the harvest wouldn’t be too good this year. Don’t worry, Ma and Pa. Once I graduate and become a real mage, we won’t have to worry about harvests and such, I can promise you that. I’ll train and study hard, then I’ll become the best mage around, and Claire and the two of you will never have to worry about anything ever again. You just wait and see._

_I really miss you guys._

_Love, Finnegan._

Satisfied, Finn rolled up the parchment, sealed it with a leather strap and placed it on the window sill. As usual, a trained owl would pick it up and deliver it straight to his parents. With that done, he got up, yawning loudly, then blew out the candle. Tomorrow was a big day.

  
Finn had always wondered why it was called the Black Forest. Now he wondered no more. Enormous deciduous trees packed close together formed a natural ceiling that blocked almost all sunlight, making trudging through the drenched, unstable earth more treacherous than it already was. The darkness was interrupted only by the occasional bioluminescent mushroom the size of a large dog, and he could swear he was hearing…things moving about along the undergrowth, following them. Worse, some parts of the ground, like where they were at the moment, were completely submerged in water, so the only way to navigate them, besides wading knee-deep in swamp, was to climb giant moss covered roots and fallen trees. Finn, like most people, had heard stories of the horrific monsters that inhabit the forest. Based on what he knew about the Fairy Folk, their home being here wasn’t too far off.

“You kids okay?” Macross asked.

“Yeah, we’re good” Finn responded.

“Where exactly are we going?” Edward asked, clearly tired of all the trudging. “We’ve been moving for hours now, and it doesn’t feel like we’ve made any progress.”

“You will know soon enough” Lee responded. “However, I’d like to ask you all a question; what do you know about Fairies?”

That question took them all mildly by surprise. None of them had really given much thought to how they would be received by the Fairy Folk. In fact, Finn and Edward weren’t even sure what they would once they got there.

“Well, I’ve heard stories” Edward began. “I’ve heard that they’re very hostile and steal people’s souls.”

“I’ve heard that they worship fey spirits and the earth” Finn added.

“Well, I honestly haven’t heard much about them” said Cassandra, her pointy hat strapped to her back for safety purposes. “I did read in a book once that they waged war on humanity and lost because of their weakness to iron, and that their race is at the brink of extinction.”

“I see” Lee mused. “All your accounts have varying degrees of truth to them.” He stopped in front of a particularly wide tree. “But there are still so much you, and most other people, do not know. For example, like Cassandra was so kind to share with us, we did fight a war against Fairies, and we did win, and yes, there are less than a handful of them left in the world.” He placed a hand on the tree. “However, that is because most of them actually fled this world.”

Now they all were confused, besides Macross, who already knew what he was getting to. “Wait, I don’t get it…fled this world?” Finn queried. “What does that mean?”

Lee chuckled. “Why, what else could it mean? They left this world and relocated to one made specifically for them by the earth.”

Then, in front of their own eyes, a crack began to form on the tree, growing until it assumed the shape of a door. “Took him long enough” Lee said under his breath. Then he pushed open the door that had formed.

“Uh, Mr. Lee” said a wary Macross. “I know this is a bit late, but you told him that only the three of us would be going. Will they be okay with the others?” By others, he was, of course, referring to Finn and Edward.

“Relax, Macross” he replied. “The Fairies love children. They’ll be fine.” With great care, he stepped through the opening. “Well, come on. We don’t have all day.”

Without missing a beat, and to the two boys' amazement, Cassandra and Macross stepped into the opening that had appeared from a tree like it was the most normal thing in the world. “Anytime now” Macross bellowed, interrupting their reverie. Silently, they cast a glance at each other and, with renewed resolve, stepped into the hole.

The tree was big, but it couldn’t have been more than ten feet wide. As soon as they got inside, though, they found themselves staring down a long tunnel, the end of which they could not see.

“What in the world?” Finn gasped. “What even is down there?”

“We’ll just have to find out” said Edward, reassuringly. Then they walked, and walked, until they could no longer see the entrance. Uncertainty filled their hearts then; where they going the right way? What if they had gotten lost? Could they be stuck here forever? Soon enough, though, they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, at which they practically sprinted at. And the sight they beheld once they got there paralyzed them.

Neither Finn nor Edward had ever seen a bluer sky, whiter clouds, greener grass or prettier flowers in all their years. All around them, the colours were just so much more…vivid, more alive. And it wasn’t just the colours. The air itself was so pure it seemed to rejuvenate them constantly, and the weather was so perfect that Finn, in spite of his awe, began to feel sleepy. On the horizon stood a tightly packed mass of spires so high they literally pierced the heavens, and the tallest of those towers was topped with a sphere.

“Took you guys long enough.” That came from Macross, bringing them both back to reality. He, alongside Cassandra and Lee, were standing not too far away. “For a while I thought you had chickened out.”

“Uh, well, we uh…” Edward’s mind simply could not work properly at the moment.

“Don’t worry” said Cassandra, smiling. “It was overwhelming in my first visit, too.”

The sound of wings flapping wings caught their attention. Finn and Edward assumed a defensive stance once they saw that the sound was being caused by three coach-sized wyverns. As they descended, however, it became clear that they were, in fact, being ridden. Once they landed, their riders- two beings clad in silver armour and one clad in fancy-looking white, gold-rimmed armour- dismounted, removing their helmets once they did so. All in all, they were pretty much human in appearance, save for the pointy ears and pupil-less eyes.

The one in white armour, who appeared to be their leader, spoke first, and in a language that didn’t resemble any language the two of them had ever heard.

Then, to their shock, Lee responded in that same language. The two of them had a short conversation, before Lee finally gestured for them to get on the beasts.

“Don’t be afraid, children” said the white armoured one. “We will take you to the capital. And yes, we speak your language. Allow me to formally introduce you to my people’s land; Arcadia.”

  
Finn clung on to Lee like his life depended on it, his eyes completely shut as a defense mechanism against the rushing wind. Even on a saddle, riding the wyvern was a harrowing experience. Hugging Lee like a pillow was all he could do to keep from flailing about in absolute terror. In his mind, he wondered how in the world the teachers, as well as the Fairy pilots, were so relaxed.

“You should really look down, Finn” Lee yelled over the wind.

“What?”

“I said you should really look down!”

What? Finn could not even open his eyes, much less look down. But somehow he found the courage to do so, making a mental note to blame the teacher should he start vomiting.

All fear and thoughts of vomiting vanished as soon as he looked down, however. They weren’t very high, so he could clearly make out the shapes of the creatures below, but even then he could barely believe what he was seeing.

Unicorns.

Ninety nine percent of people would go their entire lives without ever laying eyes on one. Pure, sparkling white, with a single straight, two foot long horn even whiter than they were, Unicorns were creatures of purity, and they were only seen in places that exuded purity, which was to say almost nowhere on the known world. And yet, here was not one, not two, but an entire herd of them.

“Unicorns” said Finn under his breath.

“Indeed” Lee responded, catching Finn off guard. “This is the only place on the known world where you will find them in herds. I hear they particularly like Elves.”

“Huh?” said Finn. Something had caught his attention. “I-I’m sorry, Elves?”

“Yes” he replied. “Elves, just like our able escorts here.” The Elf rider turned slightly to acknowledge that.

“The Fairy Folk are divided into eight subspecies; Elves, Dwarves, Sprites, Pixies, Goblins, Centaurs, Satyrs and Trolls. Though they all seem quite different, they are united by a common ancestry and shared history.”

“We are here” the Elf rider announced. He was, of course, referring to the cluster of spires that they had seen from a distance. “This…is Arcadia” the Elf continued. “Well, the capital of Arcadia to be precise, but that’s what everyone calls it so…”

They touched down at the base of the tallest tower, right in the middle of some pedestrians. Edward, upon dismounting the beast, noted the complete lack of pavement anywhere. In fact, the “capital” might as well have been a forest with giant white spires scattered around. All around them were Fairy Folk of all shapes and sizes. Edward had read a book on them, so he was able to tell each type of Fairy apart; the waifish Elves with their unnatural beauty, the short, rugged-looking Dwarves with their impressive beards, the tiny Sprites with their four insect-like wings, the even tinier Pixies with their beady eyes and the sparkling dust surrounding them, the mischievous looking Goblins with their huge, reptilian eyes and large pointed teeth, the strong and proud Centaurs with their militaristic bearings, the sultry Satyrs with their caprine horns, and finally the huge Trolls with their massive tusks and bodies covered in the aspect of nature they had bonded with. Edward was rather amazed at how they all saw each other as members of the same species, because the only similarity between them all were the long, pointed ears.

“It would seem we’ve made a scene” said Lee in the Fairy tongue, referring to the crowd that had gathered around them. Lee could understand their curiosity. After all, when next would they be able to see a human again.

“It would seem so” the Elf in white armour replied. Then a door at the base of the tallest tower opened audibly enough to catch everyone’s attention. From that door emerged seven beings, each one belonging to each of the Fairy Folk races save the Elves. Even without knowing who they were, the mages could tell that they were very important personages.

The Elf smiled. “It’s about time.”

“Mr. Macross” Finn whispered, tugging on his cloak. “Who are those?”

“Well, I believe those are the ones in charge” he replied. Truthfully he wasn’t entirely sure. He didn’t speak Fairy either, so he didn’t know what The armoured one had told Lee, but at the very least he could make some inference based on what he saw. Fortunately, he was correct this time, as this was the Council of Eight, consisting of the highest authority figures of each Fairy Folk subspecies.

“Greetings, humans” said the Dwarf. At less than four feet in height, his white beard reached his feet. “I am Alviss, Chief of the Dwarves.”

“And I am Titania, Queen of the Sprites.” Titania hovered in the air on her large butterfly wings. At just under half a foot tall with her long blonde hair and blue gown, she would have made a lovely doll.

“I go by Pi, Supreme Grand Arbiter of the Pixie people.” He puffed his chest as he spoke in an attempt to look intimidating, even though his little green shirt and trousers with a conical red cap didn’t help.

“I am Hippocles, Sagittarius of the Centaurs.” His human half was chiseled with bronzed skin and rich brown hair done in three braids. Perhaps the only thing that detracted from his rugged visage was Pi standing on his rump.

“Call me Vymos, the Great Pan of the Satyrs.” Like Hippocles, he was toned and tan, but in his case, it gave him an erotic air as opposed to a rugged one.

“The name’s Igor, the Goblin King…or Queen, as it were.” Just from looking at her Lee could tell how sharp her mind was. With her graying hair, she looked like she had spent her life running a high end casino.

“I am Gork, Representative of the Trolls.” He was eight feet tall with skin that looked like it was made completely out of granite. Actual granite spikes grew out of his back which, combined with the hunched back and heavy brows characteristic of the Trolls, made him look like a monster worthy of slaying. Yet, his eyes betrayed a hint of great, ageless wisdom.

“And I…am Mortimer. King of the Elves.” That came from the white armoured Elf, who, upon saying that, removed his helmet to reveal his long, wavy, platinum blonde hair. “It’s a pleasure to meet you” he said in the human tongue.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Your Highness” Finn blurted out of nowhere.

“So these are the human diplomats” said Hippocles gruffy. “They don’t look like much.”

“Now, now” Titania cautioned. “I don't think it’s right to judge a book by its cover.”

“I think what he means is whether they can be trusted or not.” That came from Igor.

“This is hardly the time to argue about that” said Mortimer. “Our guests have travelled a long way. They should rest.”

“I assure you, great Sagittarius, we mean absolutely no harm” Lee said, bowing deeply as he did.

“Alright then” said the Elf king, glad that that topic of discussion was dropped for the time being. “How about we show our guests their accommodations.”

“One thing Your Highness” Lee cut in before they could get going. “You may need to provide the Root of Tongue for my companions.”

Mortimer smiled. “Consider it done.”

Lee bowed again, satisfied. He had gained the Elf king's trust a long time ago, and as he predicted it was paying off. The same, unfortunately, could not be said for the rest of the Eight. As they made their way to the place they’d be staying, he sincerely hoped that their distrust didn’t ruin the diplomatic mission. He, in particular, had a lot riding on its success.

  
Meanwhile, far away from the Fairy capital, three other people- two men and a woman- had also made it to Arcadia for a very important mission. The difference between this group and Lee’s were twofold. They were from a completely different country, and their reasons were not nearly as benevolent.

“It would seem that no one knows we’re here” said one of the men, in his raspy voice. “How pathetic. I might not even need to use my illusions once we actually start.”

“Don’t say that” said the woman. “For all we know, we probably just got lucky.”

“She’s right” said the other man, who was significantly taller than the others, in his deep voice. “From now on we must proceed with extreme caution. The continued prosperity of Midlim depends on it.”

The two of them nodded in assent. Nothing motivated a person more than service to their country. Even if that service involved what some would refer to as “evil.”


	12. Arcadian Tales (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes' adventure in Arcadia continues, with an ominous threat looming in the background.

Macross, in spite of himself, couldn’t help but smile.

Shortly after their arrival at the capital, they were shown to their quarters; a swanky, three-bedroom flat, each with its own bathroom and furniture fit for a king. A golden chandelier hung above the living room and the place was illuminated by these strange but beautiful crystals.

The place was great, but certainly not something for him to get so excited over, especially knowing that Lee had his own private room while he, Cassandra and the kids were sharing this one.

What really made him amused was Edward and Finn’s reaction upon seeing the place. For all he knew, they had never seen a flat this fancy in their lives. They had spent the past five minutes poring through the place, fawning over every little piece of jewelry and woodwork like prized paintings, and, frankly, he found that adorable. It reminded him of his younger self.

“Hey Finn, look!” Edward called out excitedly. “This cupboard’s huge! You could sleep in here!”

“Amazing” said Finn. “This must be how nobles live.”

“Drink it up as much as you can, kids” said Macross. “But don’t forget you have to get to bed early. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s right” said Finn. The Fairy Folk leaders had decided to take them on a tour of Arcadia, as part of the diplomatic process. Finn recalled Lee telling Macross and Cassandra something about “getting the support of all the Fairies.” He didn’t quite get it.

“We’ll be going on a tour, right?” said Edward. “Just how big is Arcadia anyway?”

“Quite big, actually.” That came from Cassandra, who had entered the room so silently that none of them even noticed. “From what I’ve read, it’s bigger than the Northern Continent.”

Finn’s eyes widened. That was quite big. Exactly how long would this diplomatic mission take?

“Indeed” Macross responded. “Now, a warm supper is due to arrive soon. I suggest we all take a warm bath, eat up once it’s arrived, and get to bed.” Then he turned his attention squarely towards the two boys. “If you think what you’ve seen so far is amazing, wait till tomorrow.”

  
Just as Macross said, the next day was filled with wonders they could barely comprehend, and it started before they even began the tour. According to Lee, they were going to visit the “Lands” of Arcadia, each of which was the traditional home of each of the Fairy Folk races, as opposed to the capital which was more of a hub for the entire race. Their first stop was Alfheim, the Home of the Elves, so they, along with the entire Council of Eight, got there on the back of a whale. A pink whale with six enormous fins, and it flew in the air.

As if that wasn’t weird enough, they had to get inside the whale. When Edward asked why, Lee responded by saying that it was for safety reasons. “Once we get inside, we’ll fall into a deep sleep, which we won’t wake up from until the Singing Cloud opens its mouth again…oh, that is what it’s called, by the way. It’s not a whale.”

They got there in less than three hours, and once they landed, they were greeted by the beauty of Alfheim. Edward had heard stories of the legendary craftsmanship and architectural genius of the Elves, and now he got to see it first-hand. Towering spires, picturesque parks and bridges, elegant boulevards and walkways and buildings of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape, making the Antheusan capital look like a lonely desert town in comparison. Unlike the Fairy capital, the place was filled almost exclusively with Elves, with only a handful of Dwarves and Centaurs ruining the purity of the place. As they made their way through the streets, Finn noted the almost eerie singularity in their appearance; a slender build of average height, pale skin that seemed to glitter under direct sunlight, hair that was either blue, red, blonde or platinum blonde, and eyes that were almost exclusively blue. Another thing he noticed was how ostentatiously everyone was dressed. Everyone, from the shopkeepers to the random pedestrians were dressed in finery that would make Antheusan nobles green with envy. Lee had told them that Elves were all about beauty and perfection and all that. Obviously he wasn’t wrong.

Another, far less flattering thing he noticed was the looks they were giving them, specifically the five of them. Though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, he could tell they didn’t like them very much. He remembered Cassandra mentioned something about humans and fairies warring against each other a long time ago. Maybe that was why?

 _This must be what Lora feels all the time_.

After several hours of sightseeing, they finally reached their destination, which, according to Lee, held the highest level of importance to most Elves; the Grand Gallery. Compared to most of the buildings surrounding it, and indeed most of the buildings in Alfheim, it looked rather drab despite being its tallest building. It was a huge, grey colosseum with eight entrances around it. Despite its boring exterior, however, it was home to the latest and greatest of Elven ingenuity. The place was divided into two halves. The lower part of the building was dedicated to newer additions and other bric-a-bracs that could best be described as fads, while the upper layer was dedicated to timeless works of art and craft. The entire delegation took their time admiring all the pieces, while Finn and Edward went about wondering how some of these things could even exist. From shoes that cleaned themselves, paintings that could sing and walking pastries to indestructible suits of armour, potentially apocalyptic weapons and poetry so moving that anyone who read it would cry uncontrollably, everything was here.

When they were through, they went to a special part of the Gallery, a place that had been prepared specifically for them. It was a large room with a round table complete with chairs at the centre. Already in the room were two armed Elves, and one wearing expensive priestly robes. He was old, or at least he seemed old, as the barely noticeable crease lines on his beardless face were the only indicator of his age. He carried a huge golden sceptre, which he banged twice on the floor once they arrived.

“Greetings, oh most venerable Council. Greetings, human ambassadors” he began. “I am Gandlyn, Vizier of the Great Gallery. We are honoured by your presence.”

“The honour is all ours, Vizier” said Mortimer.

“This room has, of course, been prepared for you” the Vizier continued. “Appropriate lodgings have also been acquired for all of you.”

Mortimer smiled. “Your hospitality is as wonderful as always.”

“Your kindness is wasted on us” said the Vizier, bowing deeply. With that round of courtesies done, he turned to Lee. “I believe you are the leader of the diplomatic envoy; one Leonardo Di Filio, correct?”

“Indeed. It’s an honour to meet you” he responded. He wasn’t accustomed to people using his full name. “And these are my subordinates, who must be very surprised as to how they can understand us.”

Macross and Cassandra weren’t surprised at all. Neither were Finn and Edward, at least until just now.

“Wait, hold on” said Finn. “You mean to tell us that…you were speaking in Fairy just now?”

“Exactly” said Cassandra. “Our breakfast this morning had a special spice added to it; the Root of Tongue. It’s a special spice that breaks down language barriers, though it only lasts for twenty four hours.”

“Wow” Finn said wistfully. “This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

The whole congregation laughed to that. “Now then” Mortimer began. “I believe it’s time we got started. Honoured Vizier. Why don’t you keep the little ones company until we’re through.”

“Of course, sire” he replied. Finn and Edward already knew that they were the ones being referred to. Edward, in particular, was disappointed by that statement. “Wait” he said. “Can’t we join in on the meeting?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, child” said the Vizier with a chuckle. “Children can’t participate in diplomatic meetings. Now come. I want to show you both something very special.”

  
Edward had genuinely believed that the Vizier was just going to take them to some dumb play or something like that in order to get them out of the way. He didn’t expect them to go anywhere noteworthy, much less interesting. And yet, here they were, standing near the enormous mouth of a cave embedded in a grassy hill.

“Uh, Mr. Grand Vizier” Finn said, meekly. “Where exactly are we?”

“It’s just 'Vizier' thank you” he responded. “And this is the mouth of a cave. Now the real surprise is inside the cave. So go on. Go now.”

Finn faced Edward, searching his face to see whether he was just as suspicious as he was. And he was. Memories of Vilgoratharr’s cave began to replay themselves in their heads, and inwardly they hoped he wasn’t trying to exact some belated revenge on the human race, especially with how he was urging them on.

Finn was the first to say it. “Is this safe, Mr. Vizier?”

“Why of course it’s safe” he responded indignantly. “In fact, I’ll go in first.” With that, he strode into the cave, his two attendants trailing him.

Of course, that wasn’t quite enough to fully alleviate their anxiety, but it helped. So, steeling themselves, they walked into the cave.

It was only after they had gone quite deep into the cave that they realized that they weren’t even sure where they were going. They had just been walking forward blindly, and now they couldn’t even hear the Elf's footsteps.

“Hey Finn” Edward asked. “Where are we?”

“Well…” Finn unfortunately could not answer that question. Then he saw a ray of sunshine emanating from somewhere inside the tunnel. “Hey look. Over there!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, they rushed towards the light, until they found themselves in front of a large outcropping, on the other side of which was the outside world. But before they could even begin celebrating, a loud growl, like the kind one would expect from a big cat, filled the air.

Finn and Edward froze in fear, trying their hardest not to move a muscle while looking for whatever made that sound. Then they found themselves cloaked in a large shadow. They looked up slowly at the unmistakable silhouette; it was a dragon.

With a flourish, the dragon leapt from its perch at the top of the outcropping and dove at the two boys. Instinctively, they ducked, the dragon’s body narrowly missing them. It was at this point that Edward noticed that something was wrong. He looked back to see the creature that had done that, and was both shocked and confused.

Nothing would have prepared him for the sight he beheld. It was a dragon alright, but its skin was a bright emerald and its horns were stubs. Also, and most importantly, it was tiny. The creature was no bigger than a pony. Its head seemed a bit too big for its body, and its wings seemed a bit too small. What Finn could only assume to be leaves grew around the base of its head.

 _Who is foolish enough to invade my lair_ it said, and everything suddenly made sense. This was a Wyrmling, a child.

“Uh, hey” said Finn, approaching it slowly. “W-We’re not here to hurt you. We’re just lost is all.”

“Finn, what’re you doing?” Edward admonished.

The dragon hissed and assumed a defensive stance. _Don’t come near me, or I’ll kill you, evil human._

“Okay” Finn replied, ceasing his advance. “We just wanna leave. Right Ed?”

“Huh? Oh, right!” he replied.

At first, it seemed confused. Then it shook its head. _Lies_! It hissed. _I won’t let you get away. I’ll destroy you both right now!_

“Czryanthum!”

From the darkness just behind them, the Vizier and his attendants emerged, and he had distracted the young dragon just in time. “It’s alright, Czryanthum, they’re friends.”

The dragon cocked its head in disbelief. _Human…friends?_

“That’s right” he replied, then he faced the two. “I hope you two are alright. I’m afraid this was the surprise I was talking about.” He walked over to the dragon and placed a hand on its head. “Though it seems you’ve found him first.”

Finn and Edward were, at this point, completely bewildered. “Wait, you’re telling me…that’s your dragon?” Finn blurted.

The Vizier laughed out loud. “Heavens no! He isn’t my dragon. If anything, he’s our dragon.”

“Our dragon.”

“Precisely.”

 _Who are these people, Gandlyn?_ Czryanthum asked.

“Like I said, they’re guests, and they mean us no harm” the Vizier replied. “Now run along. I’ve got a special treat for you outside.”

 _Really!?_ The dragon yelped excitedly, wagging its tail like some overgrown dog. _Is it peach cakes? Is it? Is it?_

“You’ll have to wait and see” he said with a chuckle. At that, the dragon bounded out of the cave, the attendants hot on his heels.

This is easily the weirdest thing I’ve seen today said Edward in his head.

“Czryanthum, that dragon. I’ve raised him from the day he hatched nearly a hundred years ago.” The Vizier's voice suddenly became filled with wistfulness. “We may not have survived for as long as we have if it weren’t for him.”

“Really?” said Finn. “How come?”

Gandlyn crouched, pretending to examine the ground. “In the aftermath of the war between your kind and ours, Mother Earth created Arcadia as a place of refuge against the humans. It was a land separate from earth, tailored for each of the Fairy Folk races. Unfortunately, being separated from the earth meant being cut off from her and her limitless life force, and eventually, Arcadia's life force began to run out.”

He got back up. “It wasn’t very noticeable at first, but soon enough the effects were felt. Harvests dwindled. Animal life became rarer, babies were born dead. And nothing, not the magic of the Sprites, the wisdom of the Trolls, not even our own Elven ingenuity could turn things around. Our race faced extinction.”

“And then, over a century ago, a great green dragon entered Arcadia, lay a single egg, and left. My contemporaries suggested that the egg be destroyed, but I knew better. I knew that egg was the key to our salvation. And I was right! Now, every month, Czryanthum, the Verdant Dragon, flies across Arcadia, using his Breath of Fertility to restore life to our land.”

With his tale done, he turned to face the two boys. “Do you want to know why I believed that the dragon could help us?”

They didn’t know how to respond to that. “Uh…”

“It was because that was his purpose” he answered in spite of them. “the race of Dragons was created to protect and take care of Mother Earth. We, the Fairy Folk, were created to love and cherish her. Tell me, to what purpose were humans created?”

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, as the implications of that statement settled on to their minds. “Well, now isn’t the time to worry about that” said the Vizier, breaking the silence. “Come now. We better get back before they start worrying.”

“Does he think all humans are evil?” asked Edward as they walked down the hallway.

“That’s ridiculous” Finn replied. “I mean, sure there are bad people, but not all humans are evil. Besides, why would anyone want to hurt Fairies?”

  
The two mages waited on a strategically placed hill; just far away enough to eliminate any chance of them being spotted and close enough so that they could see all of Alfheim. One of them, a man with short blonde hair and electric blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, stood arms crossed and silent. He wore a silver white and blue military garb with a cape bearing Midlim's Coat of Arms draped over his left arm. The second one, a young woman, sat down in a lotus position. She wore what could best be described as an immaculate white nun’s habit. A long silver staff was placed on her legs. She seemed to be in deep meditation.

Soon enough, what they were waiting for finally arrived. A group of Elves approached them, trudging along as if they were sleepwalking. Leading them was a beautiful male Elf playing a flute. Unlike the other ones, his stride was confident and sure, and, when he got close enough, the man could see the mischievous smirk on the Elf’s face.

“Took you long enough” said the crisply dressed man in white. At that, the Elf stopped playing his flute, and as soon as he did, the others snapped out of their trance. Before they could even begin to panic, the man in white raised his hand and they all fell to the ground, paralyzed by the weak current of electricity that he was sending through their bodies.

“These things take time, Archibald” said the Elf with the flute as his disguise melted away, revealing a human male of average height. His huge black overcoat obscured every part of his body save his face, and that was obscured by a white mask that covered his eyes. He wore a large black top hat to complete his whimsical appearance. “I had to go all around town looking for suitable Elves and learning their special songs. Not to mention I had to do it all without getting caught.”

“Those really are a lot of Elves” said the woman, getting up from her position.

“Twenty five, to be exact” the masked man added. “Including a special one.”

It took Archibald no time at all to recognize which one was the “special one.”

“A dark-skinned Elf.” The Elf in question was a scantily clad female one. Archibald poked her with his foot. “They are said to be the best dancers in the known world. The Elves consider them national treasures.”

“Indeed” the masked man said. “Unfortunately, it also means that the Elves will be quite peeved once they realize she’s gone.”

Archibald turned away. “I know. Fortunately, we have those Antheusan mages to take the fall for us, for the time being.”

“Cereza” Archibald called, catching the woman’s attention. “Store these ones, then we move out.”

Cereza eyes widened in shock. “Really? Transporting these Elves and ourselves in succession, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my eyes open after that.”

“Just do it, for the glory of Midlim.”

At that, she grimaced and, stomping her staff on the ground, prepared the mass teleportation spell for the Elves. A glowing blue sigil appeared on the ground beneath the Elves, then in a bright flash, they vanished.

Cereza had to grasp her staff tightly to prevent falling over. That took a lot more out of her than she anticipated.

“Good” said Archibald. “Now for us.”

“Hey, something has been bothering me” said the masked man as she prepared the portal. “What about those Antheusan mages. What if they catch on and try to stop us?”

Archibald closed his eyes in thought before responding. “I believe we’ll be able to defend ourselves, if it comes to that.”

The blue sigil appeared beneath them, signalling that it was time to go. Archibald's last thoughts as he disappeared were on the mages, and what he would do if they decided to fight them alongside the Fairies, especially the only one he recognized among them; Lee.


	13. Arcadian Tales (Part Three)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Edward's adventure in Arcadia continues, with things taking a dangerous turn.

“Kidnappings, you say?”

“That’s right, ambassador.”

The five humans, alongside Igor and Alviss, were seated on the back of an enormous, Ankylosaurus-like creature as it made its way through a jagged mountain pass to Nidavellir, Home of the Dwarves. Since there was no real road into the place, the only way to get there, aside from being a Dwarf or being able to fly or move through earth somehow, was on the back of these creatures. The Dwarves themselves only ever used them to transport bulky goods in and out of Nidavellir. The creatures had the ability to climb up the sheerest slopes and tread comfortably on the most unstable rock, which made them a boon for other beings who wished to traverse the treacherous mountains that surrounded Nidavellir. The only downside to them was that they weren’t very fast, so Alviss had decided to use the opportunity to talk with the human diplomats about recent occurrences; that is, the sudden disappearance of over twenty Elves the night before they left.

“Almost two dozen Elves, gone without a trace. And it happened the night before we left” Alviss continued. “That’s why Mortimer isn’t following us today.”

“But how about the others?” Finn asked, as aside from Alviss and Igor, none of them were present.

“I know, right?” Alviss responded, shrugging. “I wonder why they decided not to come.”

“Eye witness reports say that the missing Elves simply marched into the distance. Then they saw two bright flashes of light, then that was it.” That came from Igor as she adjusted her sitting position. “They also mention seeing two unknown individuals whom we believe are the culprits.” She chuckled. “Strange, isn’t it? A bunch of people just walking away into the horizon and vanishing?”

“Yes, strange indeed” Lee responded.

“So people think it’s us, right?”

All of them gave the one who said that- Macross- an incredulous look. “What?” he followed up, trying to defend himself. “That’s what we’re all thinking, isn’t it?”

Cassandra sighed. “Yeah, but you didn’t have to…well, say it like _that_.” Macross scoffed at that.

“Well, your friend isn’t wrong” said Alviss, stroking his impressive grey beard. “Though you can’t blame us for being suspicious. No Fairy has the power to move or kill that many people at once.”

“But it couldn’t have been us!” said Finn, taking them all by surprise; no one expected the children to say anything about the matter. “I…I mean, it couldn’t, right?”

“He’s right” Lee added. “We were under constant surveillance. If we did anything suspicious, you would know.”

A long silence followed afterwards, then Alviss sighed. “Well, you’re not wrong” he said. “As a matter of fact, the fact that we can’t prove that it was you is the reason we’re still having these talks.” He paused to let the implied threat sink in. “But now’s not the time to worry about that, because we’re here.”

  
Eight of the giant Ankylosaurus-like creatures would have stood on top of each other and they would not be anywhere near the roof of the absolutely enormous entrance to the long and extensive system of tunnels that was Nidavellir. Flanking the entrance on either side were two giant statues depicting a male and female Dwarf respectively. The male held a pickaxe, while the female held a sickle. Those two tools, according to Alviss, were very important to the Dwarves.

Strangely enough, Nidavellir itself was not particularly breathtaking save its sheer size. The walls of the tunnel were lined with square, featureless houses that were mostly grouped in threes. The houses were connected to the main roads by small earthen walkways. The main roads were large enough to accommodate the large creatures as they moved about carrying truckloads of precious stones and metallic ores, as well as the huge crowds of Dwarves that plied the roads. Some of them also carried foodstuffs and textiles.

“All the jewels and metal in Arcadia are obtained from Nidavellir” Alviss explained. “We spend our days mining all that stuff, and most of it given to the other races. In return they give us things we can’t get here.”

“Like what?” Edward asked.

“Like rum!” he responded, a sly smile on his face. “And also stuff like flour, textiles, the whole lot of 'em. Can’t really grow those here, now can we?”

Edward nodded in agreement. No sunlight reached here. The place was illuminated entirely by enormous glowing crystals on the roof of the tunnels. That undoubtedly introduced some complications in agricultural practices.

After about an hour, they arrived at their destination, and they were thoroughly unimpressed. The only difference between that building and all the other buildings was that it was slightly taller than the others. Their disappointment became even worse when they got inside. Their dorm room was much more accommodating than this place. Edward sighed. No wonder most of the other Councillors decided not to come with them.

“Well, welcome to your new home, for the next two days, at least” Alviss chirped, watching with subdued humour as they surveyed the place. “Sure it might not have all the creature comforts you’re used to, but ya just have to deal with it.” At that, he decided to leave, but rather than go through the door, he simply stood near a wall and made some hand signs. Then, right in front of Finn and Edward, a doorway opened up in front of him.

“Whoa” said Finn quietly. “How did he do that?”

“You’ve come here to gain the trust of the Dwarves, correct?” Alviss continued, facing them one last time. “If you want to earn our trust and respect, then you have to live like us.” So with a knowing smile, he left, the door he made closing after him.

  
The light of the glowing crystals changed from white to blue, signalling the onset of nightfall. Slowly but surely, the Dwarves retired to their little earthen homes, using their earth manipulation to close the doors. In just over three hours, save for the roaring of the heating furnace, Nidavellir was silent.

Nidavellir was filled with untold riches, and there was no shortage of people who would want to steal it, from opportunistic Dwarves to adventurous Goblins. Therefore, sentinel Dwarves patrolled the streets at night.

This night however, the sentinels were nowhere to be found. Or more specifically, they weren’t where they were supposed to be, because instead of being at their posts, they were instead marching in a dreamlike state out of Nidavellir, led by a flute-playing Dwarf.

Unbeknownst to the Dwarf, a large, black snake trailed their shadows, almost as if it was following them.

A while later, they got outside the tunnel to the predetermined meeting spot, where the other two waited. Without missing a beat, they repeated the same procedure as last time.

“Hold on” said Archibald just before she could get them out of there.

“What is it?” Cereza asked.

He didn’t respond, but began scanning the ground intensely, looking for any sign of movement in the dirt…

Then he saw it. It was a snake, slithering away from them. Nothing too harmless.

“It’s just a snake, Archie” said the masked man. “No need to get your nerves in a fritz, I wasn’t followed. I made sure.”

“Did you?” he snapped without looking at his direction, instead focusing on the snake, using his Arcane vision this time. And there it was. Cursing audibly, he drew his sword and slashed at the ground where the snake was in one fluid motion, spraying dust all around him.

“What was that for?” said a confused Cereza.

“Damnit” Archie swore. “He got away.”

“What got away?” said the masked man this time. “The snake?”

“It was a Familiar, you imbecile” Archibald snapped. “No doubt belonging to Lee.”

A long silence followed as the implications of that statement dawned on them; the mages were now on to them, and once he reported his discovery to the Council of Eight, they would be hunted like dogs until they were eventually caught and killed.

“So…what now?” Cereza asked quietly.

Archie was still fuming over this revelation. Now completing their mission was next to impossible. “We move our plans forward.” He said once he had calmed down enough. “Now our main priority is getting out of here as soon as possible.”

“And the mages” the masked man asked.

“We’ll have to deal with them” he replied. “I have a plan. It’s risky, but it’ll have to do…”

  
Macross opened his eyes with the utmost reluctance. His head felt like it was going to explode at any minute. He rummaged through his sack with all the concentration he could muster, hoping he had carried some hangover potions with him and that he could take it before he threw up.

Last night was, to put it lightly, _wild_. Shortly after they had settled down, he, along with Lee and Macross, had to set out to town. “To have the Dwarf experience” Lee said, probably in tandem with what Alviss said earlier. In any case, the first and only place they visited was a popular local pub.

He berated himself silently. When he got there, he made sure to make a mental note of the peculiarities of Dwarf life, but in between the booze and the partying, he forgot almost everything he memorized. All he could remember was that male Dwarves were either miners or blacksmiths, female Dwarves ran all the other businesses and performed all the other tasks, and that at the end of every work day, most of them went to pubs such as that one to drink and party away the stress. Now that he thought about it, he probably didn’t remember that well either.

One thing he did remember pretty well, however, was a peculiar incident that occurred in the middle of their drinking and partying. He couldn’t quite remember the details of it, but he remembered making a remark on some Dwarf's beard. Apparently that didn’t sit quite right with him and he ended up challenging him to a duel. As he was no fighter, he declined. Then the Dwarf broke the table nearest to him into a million pieces with a single angry swing. Genuinely afraid for his life, and under the influence of alcohol, he tackled the diminutive creature, then cast an Alchemy spell that made his clothes a thousand times heavier. His opponent thus pinned to the ground, he loudly declared his victory and he, alongside all the other Dwarves celebrated with more rounds.

As he found the potion, he berated himself again. He could never handle beer, and yet he couldn’t stop himself from guzzling down bottle after bottle. Maybe it was just his strange addiction to encountering new substances.

Slowly, he rose fully from his bed. _Cassandra's probably still out cold_ he mused. And all it took was two cups of beer too. He hoped that she could get ready for whatever was in store for them today.

  
Meanwhile, Lee was going through tribulations of his own, although his had nothing to do with intoxication; in many ways, it was much, much worse.

“Once could be called coincidence, but twice?” said a seething Alviss. “A bunch of people disappearing mysteriously in every place you people stay? How coincidental is that?”

“Milord, you need to calm down” Lee responded. “I know that you are upset about the missing Dwarves, but…”

“UPSET!?” Alviss bellowed. “Oh I am much more than upset! Left with me I’d have the whole lot of you executed!”

Lee sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

“Milord, you are not thinking clearly” he said. “There is no way that could have been us.”

“Well then who else could it have been?”

“Foreigners.”

The Dwarf chief paused his pacing at that statement. “What do you mean 'foreigners'?”

Lee got up. “I believe we weren’t the only mages to step foot on Arcadia.”

“Great Gaia” Alviss gasped as a large black snake emerged from Lee’s hand. Before he could react, the snake lunged at him, sinking its fangs into the Dwarf’s hand. Instead of venom, however, what flowed into the Dwarf’s body were memories. Everything that the snake saw last night- the hypnotized Dwarves, the man with the flute, the other two- came rushing into his head, as if he had experienced them himself. It was, to put it succinctly, maddening.

He staggered backwards once the snake let go of him. “What did you do to me?”

“Last night, I sent this little guy to spy on them” he said as the snake crawled back into his hand. “He just directly transferred everything he saw into your brain. My apologies, Milord, but this was the only way you would believe me.”

Alviss simply stuttered. He didn’t quite know how to respond. Then he simply gave up. “Those people…who are they?”

Lee sat back down. “They are mages from Midlim. They probably came here the same time we did, to kidnap as many Fairies as they could.”

“And why the hell would they do something like that?” Alviss asked as he regained himself.

Lee paused for a moment before speaking. “Your blood, Your Eminence.”

“Excuse me?”

“Fairy Folk blood, when put through certain alchemical processes, becomes an extremely potent and valuable potion.” He clasped his hands together. “The type of potion created depends on the type of Fairy used, as it extracts the innate magical properties of each of the races. Fae potion made from Elf blood temporarily increases mental capacity. Dwarf blood gives one terrakinesis. Sprite blood makes plants grow absurdly big and fast. Goblin blood is one of the most powerful poisons in the known world…you get the drift.”

Alviss sat down, too stunned to keep standing. Lee continued. “Fae potion is extremely valuable, and thus extremely expensive. With the Fairies they’ve already captured, they could make a fortune.”

Alviss remained silent as he tried to process what Lee was telling him. Those human mages had kidnapped Fairies- his people- to take their blood and turn it to medicine. To them, his people were no different from livestock. Game animals. These were the monsters Mortimer wanted to make peace with.

“Fortunately, if that is truly the purpose for which they were captured, then they are most likely still alive” Lee continued, oblivious to the Dwarf’s feelings. “And since they can’t leave Arcadia, all we have to do is apprehend them before they get the chance.” He got up. “I will go inform the others. The five of us will get those thieves ourselves as…”

“No!”

“…as a show of good faith…”

Lee stopped talking as Alviss's interruption hit him. “E-Excuse me?”

“You heard me. The five of you aren’t doing anything” said Alviss. “You and the other man are going to Thessaly. The woman and children will go to the Great Tree.”

Lee tensed up. “Milord, where exactly is this coming from?”

“It’ll be easier to contain you people, in case there are more kidnappings.” There was no hint of emotion on the Dwarf chief’s face as he said that. “Besides, if we split you up and the kidnappings continue, we’ll know for sure that you are innocent.”

“I fail to see how this decision will help us, Lord Alviss” said Lee, calmly.

Alviss turned away from him. “That is the decision we’ve come to and that’s final.”

Lee’s expression became quizzical. “I’m sorry, We?”

“That’s right” the Dwarf replied. “I brought my case before the other Councillors and they agreed with me. Therefore, it’s official.”

Lee sighed again. If what he said was true then there was nothing he could do but comply. He could probe Alviss’s mind to see if he was telling the truth, but he figured it wasn’t really worth it at this point.

Lee got up to leave. “Very well then, if you haven’t anything else to say, I’ll be on my way.” He paused just before he exited the small room they were in. “One more thing, Milord.”

“What is it?”

“Could you inform the other Councillors to raise their personal security?”

Alviss shifted in his seat. “And why would I do that?”

Lee turned around. “Because they will most likely be coming after you guys next. The only way to leave Arcadia is through a gate, which can only be opened by one of you. And seeing as they know they’re being watched they will probably make their move sooner rather than later.”

For a while, Alviss said nothing. Then he sighed. “Consider it done.”

With that, Lee bowed. “Thank you.”

  
“And that’s how my meeting with the Dwarf chief went.”

The other four had gotten ready and were in the…well, what could best be defined as the living room waiting for Lee to arrive so that they could get started with the day’s activities when Lee suddenly stepped into the house. From the look on his face, Cassandra could tell that he didn’t come bearing good news. Then he narrated his meeting with Alviss.

“Wow. Mages from Midlim” Edward said softly. Like pretty much everyone in Antheusa, he knew that the two countries existed in a state of tenuous peace with each other. Though they had never gone to war with each other, they had come very close to doing so several times. From land and other natural resources to patents for spells, the two countries conflicted over everything. And now, they were in conflict over this.

Macross clenched his fists. “Damned Middlers.”

“I hope this doesn’t sink the negotiations” said Cassandra.

“I hope so as well” said Lee. He took a deep breath in preparation for what he was about to say. “There’s another thing; we’re being split up.”

They all gasped almost in unison. “Wait, what?” Finn blurted. “Why?”

“According to the Council, it’s to keep an eye on us better. Macross and I will be going to Thessaly, were the Centaurs and Satyrs live. Cassandra, you and the children will be heading to the Great Tree, where the Sprites call home.”

“Wow” Macross breathed.

“Wow indeed” Lee continued. “I’m afraid their paranoia and dislike of humanity has gotten the better of them. I only hope it doesn’t escalate any further.”

  
Mortimer stared long and hard at the piece of paper in his hands, which contained a message to all the Councillors to raise their personal security. With a loud sigh, he dropped the paper on the king sized bed he was seated on and simply stared blankly at the huge window in front of him. With the speed at which the Council of Eight reached the decision to split the human diplomats, he concluded that any hope for a positive resolution was all but dead, and all because of a few wicked humans from a different country.

The sound of knocking on the door interrupted his musings. “Come in” he said, at which a female Elf clad in silver armour with her blue hair tied back in a ponytail stepped into the room.

“You called for me sire?” she said in a crisp military tone.

“Yes” he replied. “Have my personal security detail raised to maximum. Increase the sentinel number too.”

“As you wish, sire” she said, but Mortimer stopped her just before she could leave.

“Is there something else, My Lord?”

Mortimer inhaled and exhaled audibly. “This whole diplomacy thing. Do you think it was the right move?”

The female Elf’s expression softened. As the head of his security detail, she was one of the few people who knew that the negotiations between Arcadia and the humans was his initiative, and while she had her reservations about the whole idea, she did see some merit in it.

“I…don’t think it’s my place to say so, My Lord.”

Mortimer expected that response. “Oh come now. You must have some opinion on the matter. No need to be shy around me.”

She struggled to find the right words to say. “Well…personally, I think it is a bold and progressive move.”

Mortimer chuckled. “You really think so?” He got up from the bed. “During my five year sojourn in the human world, I encountered a lot of people. Good humans, bad humans, kind, greedy, all sorts of them.” His tone became more wistful. “That was also when I met Lee. Yes, the two of us were close. Very close. He was the person who showed me that mankind was no less good or evil than Fairy Folk, and I wanted to show the rest of us too by inviting them here.” He gave a loud sigh. “It’s almost poetic, you know, how quickly things went south, because of a few miscreants who…”

Mortimer never finished that statement. In that moment, the entire building was rocked by a massive explosion. Almost instantaneously, the female dashed out of the room. Mortimer followed suit, briefly squeezing the medallion around his neck to instantly don his signature white and golden suit of armour. He got outside to see the entire courtyard reduced to a pile of rubble. Over two score Elven soldiers stood armed and ready in front of the mansion’s door. And hovering in the air in front of them, with lightning dancing across his body and filling the air around him, was a man- a human- clad in white and blue military garb, his lightning-coated longsword in his outstretched left hand.

Mortimer stepped forward, past his guards. “Who are you?” he shouted to the floating stranger. “What do you want?”

“I am Archibald, war mage of Midlim” he replied, raising his sword; Mortimer noticed it began to glow. “And I am here for you.”

In one swift motion, Archibald swung his sword downwards, and from it came an arc of lightning so bright it temporarily blinded Mortimer. The shock of the explosion that followed knocked him down on his face. Slowly, he got up, grateful that he had somehow sustained no damage. His relief quickly melted away, however, once he turned around to see what had happened; more than two-thirds of the guards dead, and the official Royal residence of the Elven king reduced to a smoldering pile of rubble.

Archibald descended from the sky, his sword sheathed, his body crackling with power. “Surrender, Elf king” he stated calmly but firmly. “I do not wish to hurt you, so come with us.”

The Elf king turned to face him, inconsolable rage on his face. Before he could do anything, however, five surviving guards, including the head of the security detail, moved to defend their king.

“And you think we’ll just _let_ you?” she spat.

Archibald smiled. “No, of course not.” Then he drew his sword again.

It happened so quickly, much faster than Mortimer could even comprehend. One minute he was drawing his sword, the next minute the female Elf’s head was falling to the floor. None of them, not even the now dead Elf, saw the in-between motion. The only thing that indicated that he had performed any sort of action was the brief flash of light just before the fact, and his sheathing of his sword afterwards.

Seeing their boss die so quickly broke the other’s morale completely, and they turned to run, but Archibald wouldn’t even let them have that. In what seemed like a single fluid motion, he drew his sword and lopped of the head of each guard, moving at speeds the human eye- as well as the Elven eye- was never meant to comprehend. As their bodies crumpled to the ground, Mortimer found himself completely alone.

At that point, a spatial rift opened behind Archibald. “Just in time, Cereza” he said. “Escort the Elf king out of here, will you?”

“Sure thing” she said as she began to prepare the teleportation spell. Mortimer, not willing to accept his fate even as the blue light surrounded him, drew his sword and charged at Archibald, a battle cry on his lips.


	14. Arcadian Tales (Part Four)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes adventure in Arcadia comes to a thunderous head in this epic conclusion of the Arcadian Tales!

Lee and Macross sat down quietly in their tent, as unobtrusive as they were the day before when they first entered Thessaly. Chironius, the Great Sagittarius of the Centaurs, greeted them as guests, but they were under no illusion of their place here; theCentaurs were always a strong, warlike and militaristic race, so what better place to keep an eye on two powerful mages. The two of them did nothing but what they were told, and said even less. All the while gathering as much information as possible using all the means at their disposal; that is, their magic.

Even now, as they sat quietly in their tent, Lee was using Nature Magic to enhance his hearing to the point where he could listen in on the conversation their two bodyguards/jailers were having, and what he was hearing didn’t please him in the slightest.

“Hey, did you hear?” said the female Centaur.

“Hear what?” the male one asked.

The female seemed perplexed. “Are you serious? You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what!?” he sounded annoyed now.

“The Elf king has been kidnapped by human mages.”

At that, the male Centaur said something that didn’t translate very well, but was probably either a curse or an exclamation.

“But hold on” the male continued. “These ones are still here in Thessaly. So does that mean…the kidnappings weren’t their doing?”

“Probably” she replied. “But don’t underestimate humans. For all we know, the kidnappers might be affiliated with them, or they could be using some strange magic to appear in two places at once.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Lee stopped listening. He had heard all he needed to hear.

“So, what’s the situation” Macross asked.

Lee got up. “The Elf king has been captured. From the sound of it, it happened yesterday evening.”

“I see” said Macross pensively. “So, what does that mean for us? Is it bad?”

“Perhaps” Lee responded bluntly. “However, I believe this could also prove to be an advantage, if everything plays out as it should.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Lee ignored that, instead pausing for a bit to think. Then it finally hit him; his plan.

“Come with me” he said. “We’re going to see Chironius.”

  
When they did get to the Centaur leader's enormous tent, they found it heavily guarded. As soon as they were within fifteen metres of the tent, the guards immediately stood at alert, ethereal weapons manifesting from their hands; such was the power of the Centaurs.

Lee and Macross raised both their hands up submissively. “We mean no harm” said Lee. “We simply wish to speak to the Great Sagittarius.”

As if he heard them, Chironius emerged from the tent alongside two other Centaurs. “How did the two of you get past the guards.

“Sleeping gas” Macross chirped. “Okay, well, actually, sleeping potion. It turns into a gas the moment it’s exposed to air. I brought some with me from home…actually for myself, really. It’s made from a special formula of my design. Most other alchemist mages find it difficult to make a gaseous sleeping potion that, well, actually works. But I found out that with some Birch ash and a dash of heavily diluted Essence of Nightshade…”

“We came here to talk to you about the Elf king’s kidnapping” Lee interrupted.

Chironius's brow furrowed. “So you already know about that.” He folded his arms. “I’m guessing you want to help?”

“Precisely” Lee replied. “I believe you have already begun searching for them…”

Now it was Lee’s turn to be interrupted. “We are not searching for them, we already know where they are. I have already organized a retrieval party that will rescue the Elf king and destroy the human intruders.” Lee noted how his voice changed when he said the word “human.” As if it was some kind of dirty word.

Lee pressed on regardless. “In that case, let the two of us join this team.”

All the Centaurs gathered scoffed almost in unison. “And why would I do that?”

“Because without our help they will all be killed.”

Their apprehension at that statement, which insinuated that they were incapable of bringing down a single human mage, was palpable. Some of them looked ready to take Lee on right then and there. Regardless, Lee went on. “You are facing an enemy you know nothing about. Even if you do manage to bring them down, it will be at the cost of dozens of you, if not more.” He took two steps forward to show how serious he was. “I. Know. Them. I can help you beat them. _We_ can help you beat them.”

Chironius simply sighed. “Is this about the whole diplomacy thing? That’s what this is about, isn’t it.” He paused for a bit. “Look, whatever you were trying to accomplish died the moment some humans started kidnapping our people. The ultimate goal of this mission was to lay the groundwork for establishing a cordial relationship with mankind. Do you really think we would want to establish peace with a race that still thinks of us as…as pests? Livestock? Ingredients?”

Sighing again, he turned around. “Forget it, human. The diplomatic mission has failed. I’d concentrate on packing my bags if I were you.”

“I am not blind, Chironius.”

The Centaur stopped in his tracks.

“I know the evil that humanity is capable of. I know that people still think of the Fairy Folk as monsters. And that is exactly why this diplomatic mission must succeed.”

“Excuse me?” said Chironius.

Lee looked him straight in the eye. “Today, three Midli mages made it into Arcadia. Do you think they will be the last? More will come, and when they do, you will need a strong ally in the human world, and Antheusa is that ally.”

For what seemed like an eternity, Chironius stared at him. The way things were looking scared Macross. He didn’t want to start any kind of altercation with those tough looking Centaurs.

Finally, Chironius spoke. “Humph! You better hope your game's as big as your talk, human.”

Lee smiled. Macross gave a sigh of relief. Now they could begin.

  
On the grassy plains and rolling hills that seemed to go past the horizon and continue on ad infinitum, the small patch of dense forest stuck out like a sore thumb. In fact, from how clear cut the forest’s borders were, one could infer that this was not a naturally made forest, and they would be partially correct. This forest was planted by no sapient creature, but it was there for a purpose, for inside the forest was a small grotto, and in that grotto was a portal to the human world.

“Hmm.” That came from Archibald, who was simply standing, admiring the grotto. “I will admit, this is a rather inconspicuous place to hide something as important as a portal to the human world. Don’t you think so, Elf king?”

The Elf king in question lay just beside him, stripped down to his underwear and pinned to the ground by Archibald’s longsword run through his left calf. The damaging effect of the cold steel radiating through his body made it so that Mortimer could not move at all. His body was covered in fresh bruises, evidence of the hospitality he was being shown by the mage.

“We don’t hide it…not necessary” he said, fighting through the unbelievable amount of pain he was in. “No one else can open it…besides us. Besides, who in their right mind would want to go to a world filled with monsters like you?”

Archibald ignored that little jab, instead just turning to face his hostage. “I’m curious, Elf king. How did you and that other Elf learn how to speak our language?”

“I was in the human world for two years” he replied. “And when I came back I taught it to my elite guard.” He chuckled softly in spite of himself. “We Elves are quick studies, just so you know.”

Archibald exhaled audibly. Then, wordlessly, he moved towards Mortimer and began to slowly move the sword impaled through his calf around. The Elf king groaned in agony. “I will say this one more time. Open. The. Portal.”

Mortimer, with all the strength he could muster, raised his head. “A pox on your eyes, you bastard.”

Archibald sighed, then let go of the sword. “Do you know why I’m doing this?”

“And what might that be?” Mortimer replied. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve done a lot of things lately; kidnapped and killed several of my people, kidnapped me…”

“Do you want to know why I’m torturing you?” Archie cut off. When Mortimer didn’t respond, he continued. “I’ve sent my compatriots to the Great Tree, and when they return, I’ll have Mask use his Mind Magic to force you to open that portal.” He crouched down in front of him. “You are my prisoner, but you are still a king. I don’t want you to have to suffer the indignity of becoming a flesh puppet. That won’t have to happen, as long as you open the door before then.”

For a while, Mortimer was silent. Then, to Archibald’s surprise, he started laughing. “What exactly is so funny?”

“I guess being a good mage doesn’t make you a good liar.”

Archibald’s brow furrowed. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

Mortimer winced; his laughter had made the pain worse. “The real reason…urgh…you want me to open the portal now…is for insurance, isn’t it? In case your compatriots don’t make it back.” He chuckled again. “It’s good to know that your despicable nature doesn’t discriminate against humanity.”

At that, Archibald got up and gripped the sword. The jolt of electricity he sent through it left Mortimer howling in pain.

“If you don’t open it in the next ten minutes, I’ll start taking fingers” said Archibald as he poured more electricity into the sword. “One way or another, Elf king, you will open that portal.”

  
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles from the portal, Finn, Edward and Cassandra were having the weirdest day. Weird in a good way, that is. With the circumstances that surrounded their arrival, they expected to be treated with disdain at best and open hostility at worst. Instead, they were treated with the utmost hospitality. The Sprites had created a small cottage complete with a fireplace and separate rooms for each of them. They even went out of their way to prepare human meals for them. The fact that Sprites were, on average, four to six inches tall, made it even more impressive.

It didn’t end there, though. The next morning, they were greeted by a cacophony of musical instruments. They stepped outside to see Sprites hovering about in the air, playing their tiny trumpets and drums and things that could best be described as violas. Once they noticed them, the Sprites began to encircle them.

“Hey, w-what’s going on?” Cassandra queried once she noticed that the air current around them began to get faster. It started slowly, but before they knew it, they were flying through the air at an alarming speed. For a moment, Edward thought all that niceness before was a hoax, that they wanted the three of them to let their guard down, all so that they could raise them up and let them fall to their deaths. Then, in no time at all, they landed safely on their feet on an enormous branch.

The three of them scanned the area. This place was apparently their equivalent of a stadium of the sort, as they were surrounded by the tiny Sprites, all seated on the ground in a circle with the humans at the centre. Finn looked beyond them to see clusters of the Tree's fruit, gourd shaped with some the size of a full grown man, hanging low from the branches. These fruits were hollowed out and served as homes for the Sprites.

Neither of them had time to contemplate on anything else, though, for their attention was taken by a loud trumpet fanfare. From behind them, a procession of Sprites descended in a ceremonial fashion, and at the tail end of the procession was none other than Titania, the Sprite Queen, dressed in a beautiful white gown. Unlike the others, who had dragonfly like wings, she sported large, colourful and radiant butterfly wings; a symbol of her Royal heritage. Hovering just above the humans, she gave them a warm smile.

“It’s the Sprite Queen” said Finn.

“Indeed I am, little one” she responded, although in comparison to him, she was the little one.

Cassandra stepped towards her. “We’d like to thank you for all the hospitality you’ve shown us.” She paused briefly. “Though I will admit it’s a bit off putting, considering…well…”

“Considering all that’s happened?” Titania completed. “Yes, it’s true. Right now you human diplomats are not held in the highest regard. But I believe it’s just paranoia. You shouldn’t throw away the whole basket because of a few bad eggs, now should we?” she chuckled a bit after that speech.

Cassandra, Finn and Edward nodded in unison. After what they had been through, being in the company of Fairies that didn’t hate them simply for existing was a welcome change in tone.

  
Titania clapped twice. “All right. With no further ado, let the festivities begin!”

At that, the Sprites gave a loud cheer, then began to take to the air. Edward was about to ask the Sprite Queen exactly why they were celebrating when the ground below them began to glow a soft blue.

The cheering and chattering died down quickly, indicating that the others had noticed the circle as well. It was just big enough to have all the gathered Sprites and the three humans within it’s circumference. For what seemed like an eternity, they simply stood still in surprise and confusion. Only Cassandra, who knew what the circle was, had the presence of mind to react.

Without saying a word, she fired a blast of wind at the two kid’s direction, sending them, along with quite a few Sprites, flying out of the circle. Then she fired another blast at Titania, sending her out of the circle as well. Finn and Edward recovered from their disorientation, just to see the circle enveloped by a bright light. Then it was gone, and with it Cassandra and more than two-thirds of the gathered Sprites.

“W…what…?” That was all Finn could manage.

“They’re…gone” Edward gasped.

“Damnation!” That seemingly came out of nowhere. Then a rift in space opened, and from that rift two figures- a man and a woman- appeared.

“That woman knew what we were up to!” Cereza complained. “Because of her I couldn’t get them all!”

“That doesn’t matter” said the masked man. “We’ve captured enough. Now let’s take our leave.”

“YOU!”

Cereza jumped. It turned out that angry yell came from the Sprite Queen herself. “You are the people going around kidnapping innocent Fairy Folk, correct?” Her rage was building by the second. “What have you done to my subjects?”

The masked man ignored her completely. “We do not have time for this. Now let’s go.”

Cereza groaned. “I…I can’t”

“What?”

“All this teleporting is really taking its toll on me. I need to rest for a while before I can get us outta here.”

The man clenched his teeth in frustration. He looked around to see the growing number of Sprites around him as passers-by were drawn to the commotion. The current situation, to him, was completely undesirable.

“You…you used Spatial Magic to teleport them away” said Edward once he was collected enough to speak. “Bring them back right now!” As he was saying that, the Sprite Queen's hands began to glow violet as she gathered magical energy, preparing to unleash a ferocious attack on the people who would dare kidnap her subjects.

The masked man sighed. _Guess I have no choice._

“Bring them back, you say?” he crooned, producing his flute from his left sleeve. “As if you’re in any position to make demands!” Then, before anyone could react, he brought his flute to his mouth and began to play.

Titania raised her arms up, beginning her first strike, but found that she couldn’t. In fact, she found that she couldn’t move her body at all. “Wh…what’s going on?” she said, panicking. Then, before her eyes, the man began to dissolve like ash on the wind. Then the woman began to dissolve. Then _everything_ began to dissolve. Before she knew it, everything was darkness. Not only could she not see anything, but she couldn’t hear or even feel anything. It was as if reality itself had crumbled away to nothing. She didn’t even hear her own body hit the ground.

  
Cassandra looked left, right, then up, her eyes beholding nothing but darkness that seemed to stretch on to infinity. Even the floor she was apparently standing on was pitch black. The only thing that broke the monotony of the place were the colourful beings flitting about the place like agitated flies; the Sprites that had been dragged into the spatial room alongside her.

For a while, she said nothing, instead closing her eyes and thinking about her next step. The woman had undoubtedly teleported them into a spatial room; a distortion in space caused by fourth tier Spatial Magic. Mages usually created rooms such as these to store things in a place no one could reach them, or as a quick getaway. It was also possible to create multiple rooms, which meant, of course, that the other kidnapped Fairy Folk were most likely in one such place. Were she better at Spatial Magic, she would have simply warped out of there. As it stood, there was only one way to escape, and she wasn’t even sure it would work, but she had to try.

“Hey, all of you!” she cried out to the panicking Sprites. It didn’t work. “HEY!” she yelled even louder. This time they all calmed down.

“I know a way to get out of here, but I’ll need your help.”

  
The masked man cast his gaze on the field of prone bodies lying on the ground around him and smiled in satisfaction. He was only an Adept, but thanks to his specially made magic wand- his flute- he was able to cast Mind spells on a scale much larger than what he would normally be capable of. With time, he was even able to tailor his tunes to affect specific people. Yes, it was truly a magnificent instrument.

“Well, that was quick” said Cereza. “I’m all better now. Let’s go.”

“Good, good” he responded absent-mindedly, still fawning over his power. He was so into himself he didn’t even notice the two bodies slowly rising. But Cereza did.

“Mask, look out!” she yelled, but it was too late. Before he knew it, Finn and Edward tackled him to the ground in unison. Without missing a beat, Edward began to rain blows on his face while Finn prepared a Fireball.

“Now Ed!” Finn shouted. As soon as Edward jumped away from the man, Finn released his Fireball. It exploded upon contact, sending embers flying in all directions and leaving a smoldering crater in its wake.

“Darn it” Finn cursed. “Almost had him, too.” Several metres away from the crater was Mask, seated on the ground, panting, unharmed save the bruises on his face. His mask had cracked slightly and his teeth were clenched in unfathomable rage.

“You…” he sputtered. “You little shits! How did you…?”

“Lee told us how your spell works” Finn said. “You use that flute's sound to cast Mind spells.”

“So all we had to do was use Mind Magic to block our sense of hearing” Edward completed.

For a while, the man simply sat, bewildered. Then he smiled, then began to laugh, and that made the two of them uneasy. “Congratulations” he began, venom in his voice. “Do you little shrimps really think you’ve won? Because if you do…”

He stopped abruptly, his expression changing from rage to horror. Confused, they looked back to see what it was he was looking at that was so terrifying, and they were both awash with relief. The Fairies that had fallen to his spell had begun to awake. Most of them were confused. The rest, including Titania, were pissed.

Cereza was shook. “Th…They’re awake already?”

Mask cursed, raising his flute, but this time he wasn’t fast enough. Titania raised her arms and from the ground shoots began to emerge. The shoots instantly grew into large woody vines that ensnared the two of them. He barely managed to retract his flute.

“The two of you have much to answer to” she stated, then clenched her fists. At that, the vines began to contract, crushing the two of them. “You two will pay for your crimes in blood!”

Just before she could finish them off, the sound of breaking glass. To everyone’s shock, cracks began to appear out of thin air just beside Cereza. Titania, Finn, Edward and all the Sprites present got themselves ready for whatever it was that would emerge from that crack. Their attitude changed once they saw what emerged from there.

“Cassandra!” Finn exclaimed.

Behind her, a host of Sprites fluttered through, dancing happily in the air at their freedom. Finn and Edward rushed over to her and gave her a big hug.

“How?” Cereza queried. “How on Earth did you break out?”

“Easy” Cassandra began. “I broke through.”

She was confused by that. “Broke…through?”

“Every spatial room consists of three things; the room itself, the ‘key’ and the ‘door’. The room is pretty obvious, and that magic circle that you used to transport us was the ‘key’. The door in question is the room's link to the outside world.” She moved towards Cereza. “The ‘door’ is the weakest part of the room, so theoretically, one could force her way out of the room by literally breaking down the door with magical energy.”

“That’s ridiculous” Cereza spat.

“Yeah, I’ll admit it was hard” she continued. “First I had to find the door, but breaking out was the hardest part. I could never have done it alone. Fortunately I had all these guys to help me” she gestured to the Sprites behind her.

With Cassandra’s eulogy done, Titania once again faced the two kidnappers. “Now, as for you two…”

“Wait!” that came from Cassandra, catching the Sprite Queen's attention in time. “She has all the other kidnapped Fairies. She’s the only one who can release them.”

That elicited a murmur from the crowd. Amidst the noise, Cereza began to laugh softly. “And what exactly is so funny?” Titania questioned, tightening the vines.

“Fat chance” was all Cereza said before vanishing in a flash of light. In a fraction of a second, she reappeared before the masked man, lay a hanon him and vanished along with him.

  
Forty Centaurs, each brandishing a variety of weapons from swords, spears and bows to specially crafted flintlocks that fired rounds that became faster the further away they got, twenty Goblin skirmishers armed with daggers coated in their own extremely potent venom and four wyvern-mounted Elves stood at the entrance to the glade were the Elf king was held hostage. The weapons they wielded and the formation they chose were a holdover from the days they warred against mankind. The Fairy Folk had been preparing for the day when they may be forced to take up arms again, and for many it seemed like that day had come.

“Y’know, this is awfully big for a rescue squad” said Macross, who, alongside Lee and Chironius, stood at the front of the army.

“Well, your friend here tells us that he’s quite the big deal” Chironius responded. “And judging from accounts of how he vapourized the Elf king’s palace, I’d say this number of fighters is quite adequate.” He glowered at Macross the whole time, and that made him uncomfortable.

Lee stepped forward. “I’m going to speak to him personally.”

“Huh?” said Macross.

“Excuse me?” said Chironius. “We have an army. There’s no need for you to go in by yourself. We can simply…”

“Overpower him with your superior numbers?” Lee cut in. “He is a war mage. His skills have been tailored specifically for combat. A big fight is exactly what he wants. The confusion will give his cohorts the perfect opportunity to escape.” He faced forward. “If he is yet to escape, it means that either they aren’t there with him, or they are yet to force him into opening the gate. Either way, it’s an advantage for us. Remember, the one we’re after isn’t him, but the Spatial Magic user. If we engage him, all the attention will be on him and that is not acceptable.” He resumed walking forward. “I will draw his attention, then the rest of you can apprehend the others and rescue your king.”

Chironius cursed silently. He’d be damned if he took orders from a human, but his logic was unarguably sound. _This plan of yours better work._

  
Archibald's face darkened as soon as he set eyes on the person who emerged from the woods. “Leopold Di Filio.”

“In the flesh” he responded. He still didn’t like it when people used his full name.

Archibald’s body crackled with energy. “To think you’d actually stand here to face me yourself. This diplomatic mission of yours must mean a lot to you.”

Lee scanned the area. The Elf king lay half naked and unconscious on the ground. His legs were damaged badly; if he were a human, he would never walk again. The other two were nowhere to be found. _So I was correct…mostly. But I can’t be sure_.

“War mage of Midlim” Lee began. “There is an army waiting for you outside this forest. Surrender now, and this will hurt a lot less.”

At that, Archibald chuckled softly. Then, with a flourish, he drew his sword, raised it high into the air and plunged it into the ground. Once it hit, a white magic circle appeared, surrounding him, and from it a thunderstorm’s worth of lightning erupted into the sky.

“You are right about one thing, Lee” he yelled. “I am a war mage of Midlim. And I do not submit to anyone!” Then he knelt down on one knee, and the lightning, along with the circle, vanished into thin air. All that was left was left was Archibald, a soft glow enveloping his body. His eyes shining with power.

Lee was, in spite of himself, fascinated. A spell that combined Elemental, Nature and Mind Magic to enhance one’s body was indeed fascinating. Elemental Magic to provide the lightning, Nature Magic to make it so that the lightning increased his speed and reflexes rather than electrocute him and Mind Magic to make his senses keep up with his increased speed. Truly a marvel of Magecraft.

“I call this the Dance of the Thunder God” said Archibald as he got up. “Now it’s time for you to perish!”

Lee never saw the attack coming. One minute Archie was assuming a battle stance, the next he was right in front of him, about to bisect him with a mighty swing of his sword. He hit Lee squarely on his waist, electricity exploding from the sword as it struck. The blow sent him flying sideways, knocking down three trees in the process.

Archibald scoffed. “Lucky one you are.”

Lee emerged from the wreckage. The entire left side of his body had become a writhing, bulbous, swollen mass. He was, however, unharmed. “You see, you are not the only one who has modified their body with Nature Magic.” At that, the bulbs on his body burst, spewing out all manner of horrors that darted across the air and crawled on the ground. Nonchalantly, he swung his sword, sending out an arch of lightning that instantly incinerated the whole lot of them, as well as quite a few trees. By the time the smoke had cleared, he found Lee unharmed, his arms and legs swollen to almost twice their size and covered in huge, spiky scales.

Archibald rushed him again, this time with intention of cutting his head clean off. Lee anticipated that and raised his arms to block. The resulting clash sent sparks of electricity flying everywhere, setting the forest ablaze.

The two of them struggled on, Archibald’s sword versus Lee's arms, even as an inferno raged around them. Finally, the sword pierced through Lee’s armour, scoring a gash across his right arm. His blood sprayed all over the war mage.

“It’s over, Lee” Archibald declared as Lee staggered backwards. He wiped the blood from his sword. “If this altercation continues, I will kill you. Surrender before it’s too late.”

Archibald found himself strangely annoyed when Lee began to laugh. “You think this is funny? It’s not.”

“Oh, but it is” Lee responded. “Especially since you seem to think you’ve beaten me, even though I’m still standing.”

The aura that surrounded him suddenly increased in intensity. “You won’t be standing for much longer.” But almost as soon as he said that, something happened, and all of a sudden he lurched forward as pain flared across his chest. His sword fell from his violently shaking hand. “W…what did you…do to…?” was all he could manage before falling to the ground on his knees.

Lee stood upright, his arms and legs shrinking down to normal. “It’s no secret that my area of specialty is the study of physical life.” He began to walk towards Archibald. The first drops of rain began to fall. “It’s also no secret that I perform certain experiments on such life in order to learn more about them and prove certain hypotheses. What most people don’t know is that there is one test subject I have made use of more than any other; myself.”

He crouched down in front of a seething Archibald. “Over the years I have used my mastery of Nature Magic to research several natural phenomena, including the creation of natural toxins, like the one that was in my blood.”

Black veins began to spread across Archibald’s body. “Damn…you.”

Lee got up. “No, war mage, you will be damned very soon.” He turned around. “The poison won’t kill you. It will, however, render you a cripple for the rest of your life.”

He turned around, searching for the expression he wanted to see, and there it was; fear. The kind that the threat of death simply couldn’t inspire. Slowly, he brought out a vial. “This…is the antidote. I will give it to you, but only after my demands are met.”

Almost before he completed the sentence, two people abruptly appeared in their midst out of nowhere; Cereza and Mask. “Ah!” Lee exclaimed once he set eyes on them. “You two are just in time. Your leader and I were just about to come to an agreement."

They were confused and quite shaken at first, but then they looked at the fire around them, the destroyed trees and finally at Archibald kneeling helplessly on the ground, and it all came together. Cereza grimaced.

“Good” said Lee. “Now that you understand the situation, let’s talk.”

  
Over half an hour had passed since Lee entered the forest. The gathered force waited with baited breath to see the outcome of what had to have been an epic battle. It had caught them completely by surprise. Everything was calm when Lee entered. Then, just moments afterwards, thunder fell from the sky, then explosions, then thousands of strange creatures came from nowhere, then the place caught fire amidst the sounds of two great powers clashing with each other. Then everything was calm. The display had left the entire congregation in awe; this was what human mages were capable of doing.

Soon after, it began to drizzle, and the place was draped with steam and smoke. Their patience was soon rewarded, however, when from the smoke two figures emerged. One of them was Lee. His sleeves and trousers were ruined, but he seemed otherwise unhurt. The other person, using Lee as support, was none other than Mortimer.

And that wasn’t all. From the veil of smoke, dozens of other shapes began to appear. Dwarves and Elves of all shapes and ages emerged. Whispers of “he did it, he actually did it” began to be heard from the crowd, and these whispers eventually grew into a loud and triumphant cry of victory.

“Lord Mortimer” Chironius gasped as he took him off Lee’s hands. “What did you do?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” said Lee. “I was able to get the mages to release the captive Fairy Folk.”

“I see” Chironius responded. “But where are they?”

“Gone.” That came from Mortimer, much to his surprise. “That was the deal. They released the captured Fairies, and in return I let them leave this world.”

Chironius’s mood soured. “So, you let them go?”

“We had to” Lee added. “You see, the relationship between their country and mine is…well, it’s tenuous, let’s leave it at that. I didn’t want to complicate things further by having you execute them.” He chuckled at that. Chironius was not amused, but at least the Fairies were safe, and really the was all that mattered.

“Oh, I almost forgot” Lee said. “How are the children doing?”

  
Two days had passed since that incident. After a bit of manoeuvering, Lee and the Council of Eight had finally come to an agreement and a treaty was signed. No doubt the heroic actions of not just Lee, but Finn, Edward, Cassandra and Macross helped as well. With the aid of Czryanthum's magic, the forest that had been destroyed by their battle had regrown. And after much needed medical attention, the Elf king was back on his feet. This, with their mission complete, and the deadline for resumption drawing near, it was finally time to leave.

“Well, it has been quite the week, hasn’t it” Mortimer quipped, standing near the portal.

“Indeed it was” Lee responded. His clothes had fortunately been repaired. “I’m just glad things ended peacefully. This is a step in the right direction for both Fairy and humankind.”

“I’ll admit, I’ll miss this place” said Macross, scratching his head.

“You know, we don’t _have_ to go.” That came from Finn, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Oh, I think you do, mister” Cassandra said, rubbing Finn’s head, much to his consternation. “Classes begin tomorrow.”

“Huh? No way really?”

They all laughed out loud to that.

“Oh, I almost forgot” said Mortimer as he rummaged through the knapsack he was carrying. From the bag he brought out two small boxes. “These” he said, handing them to Finn and Edward “are for the two of you.”

Without wasting any time, they opened the boxes, and in each box was a small cupcake.

“Cupcakes?” Edward questioned

“Not just any cupcake” said Mortimer. “You ever heard the saying 'you can’t eat your cake and have it?' well this cupcake puts that saying to shame. This is an _eternal_ cupcake. As long as you don’t finish it, it’ll never run out, no matter how much you eat from it. It’ll just grow back the next day!”

“Really? That’s so amazing!” said Edward.

Lee audibly cleared his throat. “All right, I believe it’s time we took our leave.”

“Of course” said Mortimer. Then he shook Lee’s hand. “Till we meet again, old friend.”

Before they left, Finn took one last look at Arcadia, home of the Fairy Folk. The memories he made here would undoubtedly stick to him for as long as he lived. But now it was time to leave, to see his friends George and Lora again, to listen to their stories of how their holiday went, and to tell his own.

And boy, did he have stories to tell.


	15. The Eleventh Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new phase begins for our heroes, as the Ranking Exams draw near. Meanwhile, an old threat returns, one that could spell trouble for all of Antheusa.

Two months ago, the students returned from the break. George, Lora, Finn and Edward spent hours talking about their holiday and all the things they got to do. George told them how he got to attend a Royal hearing. Lora told them about her demon hunting expedition, while Finn and Edward shared with the others their experience in Arcadia. Naturally, the two boys stole the show, and before they knew it they were the talk of the whole school. For the first few weeks after resumption, they were swarmed with students who wanted to know more about their adventure. Lee was, of course, reprimanded for putting children in danger, but the fact that he was able to broker a treaty with the enigmatic Fairy Folk vastly improved his standing among the staff and pushed his already considerable status to legendary heights. Aside from those things, everything went on as usual.

Of course, that changed once it became clear to everyone that the Ranking Exams were not very far away. The student body suddenly became much less rowdy. Finn and Edward's snapshot popularity died down almost overnight, as students were suddenly much more interested in studying and doing any outstanding work than listening to tales of adventures. Even our heroes weren’t exempt, as they spent more and more of their meetings studying and practicing spells.

Which was why on this particular day, two months after the holidays, George, Lora, Finn and Edward were spending the afternoon in the library, like so many other students. And George wasn’t enjoying it one bit.

“Alright, Finn” Lora began. “What are the three main Styles of Magic?”

“Alright, I know this one. Uh…let’s see, uh, Hermetic, uh…Shamanic and, uh…umm…”

“Kabbalistic” Edward completed.

“That’s the one” said Finn.

“Great!” said Lora. “Did you get that George…George!?”

“Huh? I…I’m awake. I’m awake” said George, shaking off his half sleep.

“Stay focused, George” Lora admonished. “The Ranking Exams are in three weeks. We need to be ready.”

“I know, I know” said a disgruntled George. “It’s just…well, I’m really not used to this whole ‘sitting down in one place and studying for hours on end' thing, you know? Personally, I prefer the practical aspect of Magecraft over the theoretical.”

“Me too” said Edward. “But if we don’t study the boring stuff, we won’t pass and we won’t get ranked.”

“Shhhh!”

They all froze at once, having no illusions as to who that came from. From their left, a fairy tall elderly man dressed in a black and yellow-green patterned greatcoat with a similarly designed brimless hat on his head. His gray, pointed goatee, his huge spectacles and his body, angular features gave him the overall appearance of the wizened sage, which really wasn’t too far off from what he was; the school’s Chief Librarian, as signified by the pendant that hung on his neck.

“M-Master Balthazar” George uttered.

“This is a library, children” Balthazar continued. “If you wish to speak, keep your voice down such that you don’t disturb others.”

George was about to quip about him not following his own rule, but then he noticed that aside from the four of them, other people did not react to his presence. In fact, it seemed that they weren’t even aware of his presence.

“Sorry” said Finn. “It won’t happen again.”

“Good.” He made to leave, but he changed his mind at the last minute. “I overhead you talking about being bored with all the theory of Magecraft, no?”

None of them knew how to respond to that. They just cast awkward looks at each other.

Balthazar continued regardless. “True, the theoretical aspect of Magic may seem boring and unnecessary, and in some fields, practical knowledge is more valuable than theoretical knowledge, but not so here. When it comes to Magic, knowledge is power.”

He paused a bit to let his words sink in. “You have been taught that the casting of spells requires you to ‘visualize’ the effects of the spell. But while that is sufficient for simple spells such as the Fireball or controlling the senses or even short distance teleportation, it’s not quite so for more complex spells.”

“Take, for example, telepathy. The concept of reaching into someone’s mind and seeing their thoughts is something that cannot truly just be visualized. It involves several esoteric concepts that, if not fully understood, render the effort of spellcasting useless or even dangerous. Therefore, when casting the spell for telepathy, it is not the effect of the spell that is visualized but the concepts associated with it. Hermetic spellcasting reduces these concepts into formulaic rotes or chants. Shamanic spellcasting channels the power of otherworldly beings who are associated with those concepts, focusing the power with the caster's will. Kabbalistic spellcasting has condensed these concepts into special arcane ‘names’ that coax magical energy to react in a certain way.”

The four of them kept silent, awestruck by his revelation and just how deep Magic was. “The bottom line is that the art of Magecraft requires knowledge. If it didn’t, there wouldn’t be any schools of magic, now would there?” he gave a hearty yet weirdly quiet laugh. Still, everyone around them behaved like he wasn’t even there.

“You” he pointed to George, surprising him. “You are George Firebrand, correct?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Good.” Then he began to move towards him, until he was standing just above him. George shrank into his seat. He was smiling, but there was something about his gaze that was just _terrifying_ for some reason. “As you probably already know, the Ranking Exams are administered by mages of the Master rank or above. So it would be…regrettably unfortunate for you if you were to be placed under me.” Then he turned around and left without another word.

George swallowed.

“Umm, okay” said Lora. “Shall we continue?”

“Why not” Finn said. Edward simply nodded.

“Sure thing” said George, suddenly eager to get started.

Zerastra stared blankly out the window of his office, watching the school’s meager student body go about their daily business, walking to and fro the halls, driven by whatever motivated them to come to this dangerous place. He too had once roamed these halls, first as a student, when the school was still in its infancy, then again as a teacher just eighty years ago. His reason for being a mage was simple at first; to protect and take care of his family. Eventually, as the years went by, it expanded to protecting the school and it’s denizens, and by extension, Antheusa. In all his one hundred and fifty years, he had defended the country to the best of his ability, and his name was known and feared throughout the known world. Now, he feared, something else would threaten Antheusa’s safety. Something that could very well be of his own making.

A loud rapping on the door diverted his attention, even though he already knew who it was. “Come in.”

Malachi stepped into the room, worry all over his face. “Sir…”

“I’ve heard the news” Zerastra cut in. “She’s coming.”

Malachi acknowledged that silently. Of course Lord Zerastra already knew. “Will she be a problem.”

“I can’t say for sure” he responded, turning away from the window. “We simply have to wait and see. For now, we should inform the others.”

“They are already seated and waiting, Headmaster” he said, giving a short bow.

Zerastra raised a hand, and his signature golden cloak wrapped itself around him. “Well then, let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”

An air of anxiety filled the air in the meeting room, with teachers whispering among themselves nervously. For the Headmaster to call an impromptu meeting this close to the Ranking Exams was unprecedented, so needless to say that had people curious. Was something unusual happening? Had the exams been shifted? Moved forward? So many questions, not enough answers.

Finally, Lord Zerastra strolled into the room, Malachi just behind him. They all stood up as he entered and remained standing until he took his seat.

“Good” he began, not wasting any time. “Now, as you all know, the Ranking Exams are administered by the Masters of the school. This year, however, we will be receiving guests to…help us out with the exams.”

That sent the crowd abuzz. Guests? What did he mean by guests? Why would they even need guests? How were they helping out?

“Excuse me, Lord Zerastra” said Andraxes. “Who exactly are these ‘guests’ and why are they here?”

Zerastra took a deep breath before talking. “They are Master rank mages from the School of the Blue Lily, and they are to help us administer the exams.”

Malachi could almost feel the outrage that erupted after that statement. “Order! Order!” he said in a raised voice. He was no less angry about the situation than they were, but order had to be maintained.

“I believe this is the Crown's doing?” That came from Sir Justinian, a Master rank mage. He was dressed in a finely tailored grey suit. His height and stately bearing gave him the appearance of a powerful noble in his fifties, even though he was born to a peasant family and was actually in his sixties. His brown hair was done in a ponytail which reached the small of his back and his hazel eyes were said to peer into the souls of people he looked at, which wasn’t entirely false. A Greater Horned Owl- his familiar- was perched calmly on his shoulder.

“Unbelievable” he scoffed. “In an attempt to undermine us, they have invited into our borders a rogue school of Magic run by a traitor.”

“To be fair, Hephzibah isn’t exactly a traitor.” That came from yet another Master named Jillian Frost, often referred to as the “Ice Queen” by the public because of her appearance and the fact that many of her spells involved ice somehow. This was deliberate on her part, as she was always dressed in flowing white gowns that went perfectly with her long white hair, silvery eyes, her extremely pale skin and her tall, gaunt physique.

“And why would you say that, Jillian?” Justinian queried.

“She hasn’t done anything to actively harm the country, now has she?” she responded.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Jillian” he continued. “That would make her an enemy of state. You don’t need to be that to be a traitor.”

“That quite enough, you two” Balthazar cut in before Jillian could speak. “Good. Now, Lord Zerastra, when exactly will…?”

He stopped suddenly when he, along with most of the other teachers, felt…something. A slight tremor in the air, a disturbance in the atmosphere, one that was almost forbidding, signifying that something big had entered the school grounds. Zerastra chuckled.

“I believe you were going to ask me when they were arriving, right? Well, now you have your answer.”

The black, horse-drawn carriage that stopped in front of the administrative building quickly became a point of speculation and gossip for the students. What could possibly be inside? Was it nobles, visitors from a different country? Or something else altogether? Or perhaps it was there not to drop something, but to take something. What could it possibly be? A teacher? A student? A weapon of mass destruction? Who could tell?

Of course, all the staff already knew what was inside. Or rather, who. For the carriage had brought with it the seven Masters of the School of the Blue Lily, a rogue School of Magic formed by a former mage of Antheusa known as Hephzibah.

Zerastra, alongside all the other teachers, had come out to receive them. Each one of the seven Masters had a reputation, and was either a former Antheusan mage, a defector from another country or was already an outcast. And he recognized each and every one of them.

There was the petite woman known simply as the Red Witch, named so because of her choice of attire and the red sigils that covered her entire body, including her face and bald head. While she was no Grigori, her reputation was just as bad as one, as she was known for using her strange power over fate to bring entire kingdoms to ruin. She had come to Antheusa to seek refuge from her enemies and, when she was turned away, made camp with Hephzibah. The knowledge of those two working together made him uncomfortable.

Then there was Nikolas, known more commonly as Nikolas the Artificer. His groundbreaking innovations in the field of magitech were considered legendary even today, and had he not decided to turn people into magitech cyborgs, he would be considered a hero of Antheusa. As it stood, his legacy was that of a madman with mechanical limbs who walked around wearing a bucket on his head and several long strands of multicolored cloth and metal that completely obscured his form.

The next one, known as Samantha, was a strange case. She was dressed in purple knee-high boots, a sleeveless black dress that barely covered her crotch and a huge witch's hat. She also carried a long wooden staff. Samantha always dressed provocatively; it was practically her signature during her time in the School. No one really had a problem with it, as far as he knew, though some teachers were jealous that students seemed to be more attentive in her class than theirs. Then, one day, she simply up and left. The next thing he knew, she had joined the School of the Blue Lily. Up till today, he could quite fathom why she left.

Then there was Hugo. At just over seven feet tall, his enormous muscles rippling through his ebony skin, and dressed in nothing but a loincloth and clawed moccasins, he was truly a sight to behold. Unlike most people from the Southern Continent, he sported a long, wild mane of purple hair. That was because he belonged to a special tribe that had been wiped out completely by mages from one of the Southern schools. Zerastra scoffed. It only made sense that he would join forces with Hephzibah.

The fifth one was known as Kendall. She had come into conflict with a now deceased mage from the Firebrand family and challenged him to a magic duel, which she lost. As per the agreement of the duel, she was banished from the school and the kingdom and she had been inconsolable ever since. With her long black hair that waved around in the air, she looked like she could snap at any moment.

Of the last two to exit the carriage, one was the man named Felix. His simple black coat, his perfectly straight black hair that fell like a waterfall to his waist, his small goatee, tanned skin and blood red eyes gave him an almost Demonic mien. Not much was known about the man, save that he was Hephzibah's right hand man and that he was from Midlim.

Then finally, standing just beside Felix, dressed in a purple, good embroidered saree with a black cowl draped on her shoulders was Hephzibah herself. Few mages in the kingdom didn’t know a thing or two about her. The memory of her brutally killing a beloved Master of the school right in front of everyone the day she left was still fresh in some minds. For just that, many teachers bore an eternal grudge against her. The only reason no one had made any overt strides to eliminate her in the fifteen years since she defected was unfortunately simple; barring Archmages, she was one of the most powerful mages in the known world, having mastered three different Paths, were most mages master only two at most. Worse, she had surrounded herself with this posse of powerful mages and a legion of adoring followers, and that made any direct strike on her completely impractical. That, combined with the fact that she did not threaten the country in any significant way, meant that she had operated undisturbed for all those years. But Zerastra knew. He just knew she was merely biding her time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike, and the time had come, it seemed.

“Long time, no see, Hephzibah” he said once she got out of the carriage.

Slowly, she walked up to him until she was standing just in front of him. Then she looked him in the eye and gave him a soft smile. “Long time, no see, father.”

 _Father_. She still called him that. “You look well.”

“Indeed I do” she responded. At fifty five years of age, she didn’t look a day over thirty. Her outfit showed no skin save her tattoo covered forearms, but it did little to hide her beauty. Her dark skin contrasted sharply with her long, pure white hair, which had two cornrows that went all the way down her hair, meeting just near the base past her waist; a traditional hairstyle for Gypsy women. One thing that stood out to Zerastra, however, were her purple eyes; they weren’t always purple.

“I’m curious, though” Zerastra continued. “How were you able to convince the Crown to think that we were inadequate for the exam?”

“You're mistaken, Lord Zerastra” she replied. “I didn’t convince anyone of anything. They came to this conclusion themselves.”

Leaving him, she began to stroll leisurely towards the building. “The Nobility decided that five Masters for a hundred and fifty students was simply inadequate, and the School of the Blue Lily is used to doing mercenary work such as this. Throw in the fact that I was once a teacher here, and it’s quite clear that we were the perfect candidates.” She turned her head to face him. “We’re just here to do our job and leave. We mean no harm…unless, you think we might decide to use this opportunity to retaliate? To get back at you for anything you might have done? Hmm?”

Zerastra glowered at her silently.

Hephzibah smiled. “Well then, we have nothing to worry about.”

“We should get inside.” That came from Malachi. “We should begin planning the exams as soon as possible.”

“Our accommodation?” That came from Felix.

“Don’t worry, Felix” said Hephzibah before Malachi could say anything. “I’m sure it has already been taken care of. After all, Antheusa’s hospitality is legendary.”

The sight of the night sky, for reasons she could not fully explain, had always been a source of comfort and solace for her. From the day her parents dropped dead in front of her, to her days in the “correction facility” and all through her time in Antheusa’s School of Magic, she would always look up to the night sky whenever she felt distressed or afraid, and she would feel better. Tonight, in the special suite that was provided for her, completely undressed, and even though she felt neither fear nor uncertainty, simply staring into the night sky was still soothing.

Then someone knocked twice on the door, interrupting her peace. “Come in” she announced, and in came Felix, who gave a short bow once he saw her.

“Milady, I’ve been requested to inform you that we’ve been instructed not to leave the grounds until the exams begin.”

She chuckled softly. “Awfully jumpy, are we? Very well, then. I’ve received your message.”

“Milady” said Felix as he made to leave, but she stopped him before he could.

“Let me ask you this” she began. “Has the night sky ever held any…special place for you?”

He said nothing at first, not sure how to respond to that. “I…well, not really, Milady.”

“I see” she said. “It’s nothing special for me, either. And yet, when I look at it, I just feel…at peace with myself.”

Wordlessly, she parted her hair, giving him full view of her back, and his expression darkened. The lines on her back weren’t just random burn scars; that was a brand. She was branded.

“Horrible, isn’t it” she asked rhetorically. “In the correctional facility I was sent to after the pogrom, they branded all the Gypsy children, to allow our ‘caretakers’ to differentiate between us and the other kids.”

Felix remained solemnly silent. Hephzibah continued. “I know I’ve told you the story of how the Antheusan people brought about the genocide of the Gypsy tribes in the kingdom and how I was adopted and raised by Zerastra when I was nine. But there are some parts of the story that I haven’t told you.”

That definitely piqued his interest. She placed a hand on the window. “Resentment and fear of the Gypsy had been present in Antheusa for as long as we were in the country, but as much as people hated us, we were relatively safe. The Crown didn’t have the will to exterminate us, and the common folk did not have the means. All that changed, of course, when Zerastra stepped into the scene.”

Her brow furrowed. “Using an extremely powerful spell, he killed every healthy Gypsy above the age of ten, including my parents.” Even now she could remember how that day went. How her parents suddenly slumped literally in front of her, how, all around her, adults and older children fell to the floor, lifeless. “After that, the survivors were either sent into slavery or sent to those glorified prison camps like me. That’s where I was adopted. Adopted along with a Gypsy boy named Malachi.”

She began pacing. “Do you want to know something funny? _He_ was the one who told me all of this. I was being raised by the man- growing up, living, dining, learning, playing with the people- who massacred my people, and he made it very clear to the both of us.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “Strangely enough, I was perfectly okay with this, at first. As for why I was, perhaps it was contentment? Laziness? Or maybe I was just unwilling to act on it. It wasn’t until rather recently that I fully understood what was holding me back; fear.”

At that, Felix smiled. “But that’s no longer a problem, is it Milady? You are no longer afraid of anything. Now you can finally bring your people the justice they deserve.”

She said nothing for a while. Then she turned to face him. “Justice? Is that what you think this is about? Justice?”

He remained silent, mildly confused. “I…It’s not?”

“That word, ‘justice’ is a tricky one. _For the sake of justice_ people cry, as they commit whatever horrific acts their minds can conjure. Justice, most of the time, is nothing more than a crutch that people use to justify their actions and hide from their inner monstrosity. What we’re about to do will lead to the deaths of almost a million people. It is a horrific, inhumane and evil thing we’re about to do, and I am not afraid to call it what it truly is; vengeance.”

Felix smiled. “Of course, Milady, forgive me. Allow me to correct myself; we will bring your people the vengeance they so deserve.”

Silently, she returned to her spot near the window, which Felix took as a dismissal. So he left. They had a long three weeks ahead of them.


	16. The Ranking Exams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The much anticipated Ranking Exams have begun, but dark clouds hover in the horizon. How will our heroes fare?

  
Zober took a moment to properly observe the looks of confusion on the students faces once he gave the announcement, staring dispassionately at the crowd as they murmured and chattered amongst themselves. He almost laughed at how perfectly it mirrored the teachers' own confusion when it was announced to them three weeks ago, showing that, really, they weren’t too different from the people they were supposedly superior to.

“Alright, alright, settle down” he ordered. It didn’t work as well as he had hoped.

“Which school are they from?” a female student asked.

“It’s called the School of the Blue Lily.”

That elicited even more murmuring, much to his chagrin. “Alright, that’s enough!” He said that much more forcefully, and to commiserate effect.

Zober inhaled. “As I said earlier, the foreign Masters will just be helping our Masters to conduct the exams. They’ll be working under them, so you don’t have to worry about talking to a complete stranger. That being said, be as nice and courteous to them as you would to our Masters. Understood?”

He took the silence that followed as a yes. “Alright. In related news, you’ll be receiving a note in your dorms tonight showing which Master you’ve been allocated to. Tomorrow, you’re all expected to be in your respective Master's office before 9 a.m. prompt. Is that clear?”

This time, they made their assent audible. “Alright, class dismissed.”

“Hey, George” Finn chirped as he removed his shoes. “Did you know that teachers take the Ranking Exams too?”

“Really, you serious?” He replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Finn, who had immediately picked up on it, grimaced.

“Well it makes sense” said Edward as he cleaned his spectacles. “The exams decide whether you get to move up a rank, so everyone has to take them. Except Masters, of course, because they don’t need to move up any ranks.”

Finn pushed his shoes underneath his bed. “But what about Archmages? Aren’t they above Masters? Why don’t Masters have to take the exams to be promoted to Archmasters?”

None of them really knew the answer to that, but George made an attempt. “Well, Zober did say that an Archmage is more of a 'state of being' than a rank.” He plopped on the bed. “Lord knows what that means.”

“I read in a book once that Archmages are immortal” said Finn, right before a piece of paper abruptly appeared on the table.

A moment of bewilderment passed. Then, with one purpose, they all dove at the paper. After a brief scuffle, Edward emerged the victor, paper in hand.

“I got Andraxes!” he announced enthusiastically.

Then Finn jumped on him from behind. “Who’d I get, let me see!” he was able to wrench the paper off Ed's hands. His expression once he took a look at it was one of subdued anxiety.

“Let me see” said George, taking the paper from Finn, though he was met with far less resistance. As soon as he saw its contents, his heart sank. _Just great_ he thought. _Of all the teachers, I get him._

“So? Who’d you get?” Finn queried.

George squeezed up the paper. “Master Balthazar.”

“Oh.” Finn remembered their little encounter in the library. “Will you be okay?”

George ignored that question. “So, who did you get?”

“Master Malachi” he replied. Finn didn’t know much about him, save for the fact that he was the Assistant Headmaster and that he was said to have rather high standards. Inwardly, he just hoped he could meet those standards.

“Malachi huh?” Edward mused. “I honestly don’t know much about him. I wonder what he…”

Edward froze suddenly, for pretty much the same reason the other two did so. It was faint, but they could hear the dorm master’s footsteps.

“Shit!” George exclaimed, and after a bout of frantic ass-covering, the three were on their beds and ready to sleep.

Even after staring at the place for several minutes, Edward could hardly believe this could reasonably be called an office. The “office” in question was a large, round building with a domed roof. The place was big enough to be a residential house, and yet it served as the workplace for one person?

Just outside the massive iron doors of the building stood the others assigned to Andraxes. It was 8:59, and their growing anxiety began to manifest itself outwardly. Some students spent the time talking about random things, some stood around, books in hand, trying to cram as much as they could. Yet a few others, Edward included, simply stood idly, not necessarily because they were sure they would pass, but because they either didn’t quite feel like revising or they didn’t have anyone else to talk to, like Edward.

All of that activity was halted abruptly when, with a flourish, the doors swung open. At first, no one moved, startled as they were, but then they heard the school bell ring, indicating that it was time for the exams to begin. So, cautiously, they made their way through the door, past a strangely long hallway, and finally through another door…

…to find that the place was on fire.

“Wh-what the…?” One student sputtered, and panic set in almost immediately. Some made a beeline to the exit as soon as they saw the fire, only to find, to their dismay, that it was locked.

“It’s locked!” yelled a girl.

“We can’t get out!” screamed another student.

“We’re all gonna die!”

While the other students were panicking, Edward simply stood silently, looking at the fire. He was no stranger to raging infernos, and while the fire burned vividly, there was something…else to it. The fire seemed to be in some sort of pattern, and most importantly, it seemed…stiff. It roared and flared, but the fire did not go past a certain limit, like a petulant child or an angry dog. It was as if the fire was planned- no, controlled.

“M-Master Andraxes?”

Immediately after the words left his mouth, the flames began to die down, slowly but surely. Soon after, they were completely gone, and all that was left was Andraxes, sitting in a lotus position and naked except a white cloth tied around his nether regions.

“You there” he said, gesturing to Edward.

“Me?”

“Yes.” He continued. “You have good eyes. You noticed that the flames were in control, didn’t you?”

Edward scratched his head. “Well, uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Listen, all of you” he announced as people began to trickle back into the room. “The true essence of Magecraft is control. Just like fire, using magic without the skill to control is is not only useless, but dangerous. That’s why you’re here, to learn how to control your power.” He put on his signature red cloak, which was hanging on a coat hanger on the opposite side of the room. “And the purpose of this exam is to see just how well you are able to control your magic.”

He turned to face the students. “Alright, children. I’m quite sure that most of you already know who I am, why you’re here, but I will say it one more time; I am Master Andraxes, and this is how it’s going to happen.”

The Ranking Exams were divided into three phases; the written phase, where the examinees wrote a simple written test; the oral phase, in which they were discreetly and individually grilled and asked questions by the examiner, and finally the practical phase, where students were asked to perform specific spells. The general standard of the exams were decided by a body of mages comprised of members from all the eight main schools of magic, and the Masters administering the exams brought their exams to this body for ratification, but the nature of each exam was still heavily influenced by the predilections of the mage administering it. The inevitable result was that the exams differed slightly depending on which mage was in charge.

Thus, while students under Jillian and Justinian could breathe easy, those under Malachi and Andraxes were going to have a bad time, as Finn was finding out in the written phase. Sitting in uncomfortable desks in Malachi’s office, they were given quantitative and geometric problems to solve, which Finn struggled at. The huge, scary, purple-haired man staring down at him didn’t help either.

George, strangely enough, wasn’t feeling too bad. Even though he had been assigned to a teacher who had personally called him out, he was having a fairy easy time with the written part. Really, the only thing that truly bothered him was the other foreign Master who kept staring ominously at him the whole time. Balthazar had introduced her as Kendall. George hoped inwardly that she didn’t have some kind of personal grudge against him or his family.

Meanwhile, over at Andraxes' office, the students were beginning to get annoyed. Just after the written part started, some stranger barged into the room, introduced herself as Samantha, one of the foreign mages, and declared that she would help supervise the exams. That was fine and all, save for the little issue that she simply wouldn’t shut up. She kept chatting noisily and endlessly with a little mink she brought along with her, turning an already difficult exam into a nightmare. Unfortunately, Andraxes had left the building, leaving her fully in charge of the exam for the time being, and no one was enjoying it. Eventually, one student stood up in protest and told it to her straight.

“Hey, ma’am, could you keep it down?” he said. “We’re kinda in the middle of an exam here, so…”

“If you’re so busy with your ‘exam’ then why don’t you focus on that and mind your own business, kid?” She snapped. Then she turned back to her pet. “Don’t listen to him, Foo. He’s just a grumpy little runt, yes he is, yes he is!”

Now thoroughly annoyed but too afraid to keep pushing, he sat back down in a huff. Edward sighed. _Whose idea was it to bring these guys in anyway?_

In spite of all of that, the exams proceeded as smoothly as they ever would. Jillian, much to her consternation, had to raise the temperature of her office so that the students didn’t die of hypothermia before they could finish, leaving it merely at nigh-unbearable levels. And while the students shivered in their seats, they were being constantly surveyed by these strange, tiny, flying insect-like machines courtesy of Nikolas. Justinian’s office was arguably the most normal and sane of them all. The students wrote peacefully while the Red Witch simply strolled around the office, admiring the priceless works of art that adorned it.

However, out of all the groups, the one that had perhaps the most surreal experience was, without a doubt, the sixth group, supervised jointly by Hephzibah and Felix. As they didn’t have an office, the exam was held in the classroom. Nothing truly extraordinary happened, but the mere fact that they were being watched by foreign mages was unsettling. Some of the students, especially the nobles, knew a bit about Hephzibah’s reputation, and to say they were uncomfortable around her would be an understatement.

Lora was among those who knew, but she didn’t let that, or anything for that matter, bother her in the slightest; she was only focused on passing. If there was anything that bothered her, it was the fact that one of the students taking the exam, sitting just beside her, was Marilyn. The girl who was with them on their misadventure in the dragon’s cave. After that incident, no one had seen her for months. Now, here she was, taking the Ranking Exams, after having missed months of school. Wordlessly, Marilyn looked at her and smiled, waving. Lora smiled back uneasily, wondering why she decided to do that.

“Mind your papers, you two” Felix announced. They complied silently, but they now had inadvertently caught Hephzibah’s attention, as she was now moving towards them.

“You, Grigori” she said. “What’s your name?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…Lora.”

“Lora, huh? You’re from the Blackhound family, aren’t you?” She sat down just beside her. “To be honest, it’s weird seeing a Grigori as a student here. Tell me, why'd your parents make you come here?”

Lora turned away from her strangely warm gaze abashedly. “Well, uh…it was…actually my idea.”

“Oh.” Hephzibah sounded genuinely surprised. “Well, why would you do that?”

Lora chuckled nervously. “Well…”

“Mistress.” That came from Felix, who was standing at the front of the class.

“Of course” Hephzibah sighed. Then she got up. “We’ll continue our talk later.”

“So, could he find it?” she asked as soon as she got to Felix’s side.

He nodded in response. “It’s almost exactly as it was fifteen years ago. Including the defenses.”

“Good” she replied. “Inform the others. We’ll have one last meeting tonight before we proceed.”

The sun hung low on the sky as students gathered in the Grand Hall hours after the written part of the exam had concluded. The oral part of the exam would begin same time tomorrow morning, as per course. In the meantime, students were busy talking about their experience with the exams; or more accurately, the weird new Masters.

“And she just keeps staring ominously at me for some reason” George complained to the other two. “Even after I complained to Master Balthazar about it, she still kept doing it. She did it through the whole exam. It was creepy.”

“Well at least yours wasn’t an annoying loudmouth” Edward snorted.

“Well at least yours wasn’t huge and scary” Finn added.

George and Edward looked at him incredulously. “What?” said Finn defensively. “He _was_ huge and scary.”

Fortunately, Lora had chosen that moment to enter the scene. “Sorry I took so long, guys. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

“It’s okay, Lora” said George, standing up. “Let’s just get going. We need to be ready for the next part of the exam.”

“By the way, how was your exam, Lora?” Finn asked. “You were in the group that had two foreign mages, right?”

“Oh, right” she replied. “It was…okay, I guess.”

“Alright then” George cut in. “We don’t have much time. Let’s go.”

Much later, long after lights out and pretty much everyone had gone to bed, George got up to get a glass of water. Unfortunately, the water was downstairs, so he had to drag his feet all the way downstairs to get it. He was in the process of groggily marching his way upstairs afterwards when the ground burst into flames.

With neither warning nor provocation, a column of fire erupted from the ground just in front of him, knocking him down. Too terrified to speak, George simply lay there unmoving, staring warily at the thing. After several seconds, the fire subsided to reveal a woman with angry eyes and hair that waved around in the air like black tentacles.

“You” said George, getting up as his indignation rose. “You’re that woman who kept staring at me in the exam!”

“You.” She pointed a clawed, bony finger at him. “You’re Michael's brat, aren’t you?”

Now George was truly surprised. “You…you know my father?”

All of a sudden, she closed the distance between the two of them in an instant and grabbed him by the jaw, her long, black nails digging into his flesh. George tried vainly to dislodge her grip, and continued to do so even after it had become clear that he was getting nowhere.

“Your father humiliated me” she began. “He humiliated me and took everything from me! Then he went and died before I could settle the score!” She dug her nails in so deep they drew blood. “I would want nothing more than to obliterate you this instant…but I won’t.”

With that, she dropped him, sending him back on the floor clutching his jaw. The pain was intense, but strangely bearable.

Kendall continued. “No. No, I won’t kill you…yet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he questioned.

“You…you will die, soon enough.” She began to laugh softly. “Yes. Death…death is coming for you. For all of you and your family, and all of Antheusa!” Her laugh exploded into a full-blown cackle as fire began to envelope her body. In moments, she was gone, her laughter filling the air.

Slowly, he got up, any trace of sleepiness gone completely, replaced with a strange mix of curiosity and dread. How did she know his father? What did he do? And what did she mean by “death was coming for all of Antheusa?” So many questions, and a part of him didn’t want to know the answers.


	17. The More You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes stumble upon an immense revelation. Meanwhile, Hephzibah sets her plans in motion.

Edward awoke, not to the usual alarm bell in their room, but to someone violently shaking him. For the first few seconds he thought it was just a dream, but even as the fog of sleep began to leave him, the shaking continued, along with someone chanting his name.

“Edward! Ed!” George called as he shook him. “You need to hear this.”

“Hear what, George?” Edward groaned, more than a little annoyed as he turned over to face him. Then he saw the wounds on his face.

“Whoa” he exclaimed once he saw him, every trace of sleepiness leaving him. “What happened?”

The commotion was enough to wake Finn up. “G-Guys, what’s going on?” he said, rubbing his eyes.

George turned to him, fear and excitement all over his wounded face. “You’ll never believe what just happened to me.”

“Are you serious?” said Edward.

“Like a plague” George replied, wincing as Finn cleaned his wounds with a damp cloth soaked in warm water mixed with a healing ointment. “She appeared out of nowhere, saying stuff like 'doom is coming for us all' and stuff like that. Also, I think she knew my dad…ow!”

“Sorry” Finn apologized meekly, then dropped the cloth. “There. That should do it.”

“So…it’s pretty safe to assume that she has something bad planned for you, or probably for all of us, right?”

“Perhaps so, Finn” said George.

“Well, if that’s the case, then the safest thing to do would be to tell a teacher.”

“Yeah” Edward began. “George, you should tell Master Balthazar tomorrow, during the exam.”

“Yeah” he responded, rather uneasy about the thought of talking to the librarian at all. In fact, Edward’s suggestion had brought the anxiety he had about the oral exam to the forefront once again.

“That’s a great idea” Finn harped. “Balthazar has got way more power and influence than a regular teacher. If there’s anyone who can protect you from whatever that crazy woman is up to, it’s him.”

“Yeah, I know” George snapped, mildly annoyed. “I’ll tell him tomorrow. Geez.”

Being the chief librarian, Balthazar held his exam in the library. During the written part, all the exam takers sat in one of the library’s reading sections, overlooked by a tall platform from which he, along with Nikolas, observed the students. For this test, however, they were taken to the library basement; a huge cavity of a room filled with books stacked so high they almost touched the ceiling. At the end of the room was a simple wooden door which led to Balthazar's remarkably modest office.

George and the other exam takers were seated on chairs provided for them while they waited their turn for the oral exam. And he was _nervous_. Sweat streamed down his face and his throat felt parched. In all his years, he had never felt so uneasy, so unsure, about anything. Thanks in part to Lora, he was very well prepared for the exam. And yet, the nerves simply wouldn’t leave him. 

As such, his heart almost skipped a beat when his name was announced. With unsteady feet, he got up and moved towards the door. The person who was there last walked out just as he got there. Even though they only made eye contact for a few microseconds, he clearly saw the despair in her eyes. Unbeknownst to him, he gulped audibly.

Sure enough, the place was as cold and sterile as he imagined. Virtually nothing was in the room, save the simple mahogany desk, a visitor’s chair and a small painting on the wall. And of course, Balthazar.

“State your full name and rank” he said crisply, not meeting his gaze once.

“Oh, uh, my name’s George, George Firebrand. I am an aspiring Initiate.”

Only then did he look at him. “A _Novice_. That is the correct name for what you currently are.” The sternness of his voice made George flinch. “Please, take a seat.”

George, his stomach filled with butterflies, took his seat.

“Good” said Balthazar. “Let’s begin. Now, do you know the name of the special language used in most Hermetic spellcasting?”

George, in all honesty, knew the answer, but his nervousness meant he could barely get the words to come out of his mouth. “Uh, T-True Sign.”

“And who was the mage that invented it?”

That was a slightly harder question. George was super sure he had seen it somewhere, that the knowledge was hidden deep within his mind, but Balthazar didn’t let him.

“Alright, moving on” said the Master with a sigh.

That was how the whole exam went, with Balthazar drilling him endlessly while George flinched with every gesture the man made. As time wore on, however, George’s fear and nervousness began to vanish, being replaced with another emotion; anger. The man was doing this on purpose. Getting him scared so that he would slip up and fail. Who did he think he was? Making him quail in fear because he didn’t fit his rigid standard of an ideal student? Silently, he decided he wasn’t taking any more of his crap.

“Excuse me, sir, but I’d like to ask you a question” he said, mildly shocked by his own boldness.

Balthazar arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Undeterred, George continued. “Do these foreign mages have anything against us?”

Balthazar sat up. “This is an exam, George Firebrand, not a discussion. I will be the one asking the questions, thank you very…”

“One of them threatened me last night.”

That, George saw, gave him pause. The look on the librarian's face changed from indignation to concern, possibly even worry.

“It was the same woman who was with us yesterday” George continued. “She appeared in the dorm, right in front of me. She said she was going to kill me and everything I know and love. And I noticed she’s not here today. So I guess the question I really wanna ask is; am I safe? Are we safe?”

Balthazar bowed his head, thinking of an answer that would not scare the child further, and at the same time leave no room for doubt. Finally, he found it. “I see” he began. “Your worries have been noted. I will notify the relevant authorities as soon as I can. You are safe.”

“Thanks” George responded.

“Alright. With that done, I believe you’re good to go.”

Lora’s oral exam, as far as she knew, was going rather smoothly. Even though they weren’t being tested by teachers of the school, things progressed rather uneventfully. The only weird thing about the exam was what seemed like a confessional booth stationed where the classroom pulpit would normally be. That, Felix explained, was where Hephzibah was going to be talking to them. Felix kept an eye on the students and ushered them into the confessional booth, where the student stayed for about thirty minutes being grilled by the woman. Some did well, others didn’t, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Lora was beginning to think that the other’s tales of the foreigners being creepy and obtrusive were far-fetched.

Soon enough, it was her turn. Taking a deep breath and muttering a short prayer for good luck, she stepped into the booth. The strange woman seemed to have taken a liking to her. She hoped that it would mitigate the fact that she knew practically nothing about her, and thus didn’t know what kind of questions she would ask.

This confessional booth was different from a normal one, in the sense that it came equipped with a seat for the other person. Hephzibah wore a black scarf that obscured her face, which made her even harder to see beyond the veil that separated her from the examinee. Quietly, Lora took her seat, instantly noticing how uncomfortable it was. Was she really going to sit there for quite possibly an hour?

“State your full name and rank” Hephzibah stated seconds after she sat down.

“I am Lora Blackhound of the Grigori, and I hold the rank of Initiate.”

Then the questions began. She was quizzed on pretty much everything they had done since resumption, and more since she was a rank higher than most other students, but she scaled through them with relative ease. All the while, however, she could not help but feel like these questions had more meaning to them, at some point, it began to feel less like a quiz and more like an interview.

Near the end of the exam, She asked her to state the different Classes of Demons- Lesser, Greater, Princes and finally the Demon Lords- complete with some examples from each. Lora had hit a roadblock when it got to the third class, realizing much to her embarrassment that she could not name any demon of that class. She berated herself inwardly.

“Well?” Hephzibah asked after Lora had spent an inordinate amount of time silent.

Lora sighed. “I…I'm really sorry, I don’t know any.” She chuckled morosely. “Must be weird, huh? Me not knowing about demons, you know, because I’m…”

“A Grigori?”

Lora said nothing after that, instead she simply prepared herself mentally for the next question. But Hephzibah had other plans.

“There are a lot of things strange about you, Lora” she continued. “Tell me, why _did_ you enroll in the school?”

“Oh.” Lora grimaced. She’s on about that again.

“I did say that we’d continue this talk at a later date, and now here we are.” Hephzibah adjusted her position, so her face was fully visible. “I don’t think it’s out of curiosity, and you said it wasn’t your parents. So why is it?”

Lora sighed. She might as well tell her the truth. “I…it was… I want to…”

“I see” she said, cutting Lora off. “Attending this school is your way of showing the people that you, and thus the Grigori, are no different from normal people. That they shouldn’t fear and hate you simply because you’re different, am I right?”

Lora was dumbstruck. A complete stranger had completely narrated her motivation- one she hadn’t told anyone save her parents, her friends and Iago- like she had known her all her life. _Mind Magic_. That was the first thing that came to her mind.

“You, you’re reading my mind?”

Hephzibah, to Lora’s shock, laughed out loud. “No! Heavens no. It’s just…well, it’s something I’d see myself doing, were I as naïve as you.”

She probably expected that to becalm Lora; it didn’t.

Hephzibah cleared her throat. “Do you know anything about the Gypsy people?”

“Well, a little” she responded. The Gypsy were driven to extinction when her parents were children, and in all the books of Antheusan history she had read, she had never seen anything beyond that.

“The Grigori migrated to the kingdom almost a century ago” the older mage began. “We were a disparate group, united only by a shared ancestry and our lack of a place to call home, at least until we found this country.” Her eyes became distant. “We were here before Zerastra was born. Some Antheusans have Gypsy blood in them. My parents were born here.” She looked Lora directly in the eye. “It didn’t stop them from wiping us out.”

Lora was confused. “Wiped…out?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” She didn’t break eye contact with the younger mage. “How the Antheusan people despised us? How they eventually destroyed us?” She gave a bitterness-laden chuckle. “Of course you don’t know. We’re a part of Antheusa’s history she desperately wants to forget.”

With that, she resumed her former position. “Know this, child. Enlightenment and familiarity doesn’t make people any less short-sighted.” 

Lora stayed silent, for a while, as she digested her words sorrowfully. Then it hit her; a terrible premonition. A horrific realization. A grim conclusion drawn from the simple lecture the older mage gave her. She was so terrified by the conclusion she had drawn that she didn’t even ask herself how she was able to come to that with such little information. At the very least, she had the presence of mind to know that it was merely a suspicion. One she needed to confirm.

“Excuse me, ma’am but…why exactly did _you_ come to Antheusa?”

Hephzibah said nothing, instead giving her a brief, knowing glance. And that was all she needed.

“I believe we’re done here” said Hephzibah brusquely. “You may go.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I feel pretty good about the oral exam.”

That came from Finn. He, alongside George and Edward, had concluded their exam, and were on their way to their prearranged study spot in the library to wait for Lora.

“Lucky you” Edward groaned morosely.

“Huh? What happened?” said George, his concern obvious in his tone.

Edward sighed. “Well, let’s just say, it could have gone better.” Andraxes was an…intense individual, and that intensity meant that he had particularly high standards for students. And he made it quite clear when those standards weren’t met.

“Okay…so, how did yours go, George?” said Finn, changing the subject. “Were you able to tell Master Balthazar about the incident?”

George nodded rather eagerly. “He said he’d notify the Headmaster about it…what the?”

It didn’t take the others any time at all to see what warranted that, as they were greeted by the sight of Lora running towards them. And from the look on her face, whatever prompted her running was not pleasant.

“Whoa, what’s the matter?” Finn implored.

Lora took some time to catch her breath before speaking. “I…we need to tell someone…the school’s in danger. The whole country is in danger!”

The three boys looked at each other quizzically. The country was in danger? “Hey, Lora” said George. “You mind telling us what this is about?”

“Hephzibah, the foreign mages, they didn’t come here to help with the exams, they came here to destroy all of Antheusa!”

Once she said that, their minds quickly went back to the incident with George and Kendall. “That’s weird” said George. “One of them told me the exact same thing last night.”

“Really?”

George nodded, his confusion giving way to resolve. “We need to tell someone.”

“Didn’t you already do that?” asked Edward.

“Yeah” George responded, impatience in his voice. “I told Balthazar that _one_ mage threatened _me_. But if what Lora says is true, then it’s way bigger than that.”

“But how are we even sure that what Lora’s saying is true?” Edward continued. Lora glared at him in disbelief.

“I believe her” said Finn after an uncomfortable pause. “Besides, it adds up with George's experience.”

“It’s settled then” George declared, smashing a fist into his palm. “We’ll go speak to the Headmaster directly.”

The others voiced their assent. Now clear on their objective, it was time to act. Inwardly, Lora hoped that they could make it in time.

Sitting calmly in a lotus position, surrounded by a ring of fire, Andraxes performed his daily meditation, using the familiar heat and light of the flames around him to refocus his mind and energies after a stressful day. Fire had once been his greatest adversary; an object of both fear and hate, but with his mastery of Magecraft came a mastery of fire, and he vowed to remind himself every day of that fact. That was partly why most of his spells were based on fire and burning, and why he performed this daily ritual.

Besides, with what had just happened, he undoubtedly needed some meditation.

Less than thirty minutes ago, just as he was through filing away the paperwork concerning the just concluded oral exam, four students barged into his office unannounced. He was seconds away from giving them a good scolding when one of them- the Grigori girl- blurted out that she had an extremely urgent message to deliver to him. Staying his anger, he gave her permission to continue, where upon she told him that the foreign mages, led by Hephzibah, wanted to destroy the entire country, and that she wanted to tell the Headmaster but couldn’t find him, so they had come to him.

Naturally, he asked her what exactly had brought her to that conclusion, and she replied saying that the mage indirectly told her. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, one of the males- the one he believed was a Firebrand- narrated how one of the other foreigners accosted him the night before, saying that 'death was coming for everything he knew and loved' or something like that.

Normally, at that juncture, he would ask them to leave, or simply dismiss their complaints as paranoia, or give them some stock response to becalm them…or he would, if her suspicions hadn’t been confirmed by the school already. In fact, not only did they know that she planned to launch a terror attack in the country aimed at killing everyone, they knew exactly how she planned on doing so. They didn’t know when, but that was besides the point. Lord Zerastra himself, along with a select few teachers, himself included, were the only ones informed of this, and they had sworn not to tell anyone else about it in order to avoid a panic. And yet these kids knew about it, albeit not in its entirety. So now there was only one decision left to make; should he leave them in the dark, or should he fill them in fully?

These were the things that went through his mind as he meditated, and he stood up and quieted the fire once he had come to a decision. Behind him, the four children were seated. Innocent children that didn’t need to be dragged into a mess like this. Andraxes sighed; the others were going to give him an earful for this.

“Come with me, children” he said. “It’s time you saw the whole picture.”

The deeper they descended the staircase, the more uneasy Edward felt about all this.

As of that moment, the four of them, guided by Andraxes, were in a place that was normally inaccessible to all students and most teachers. Referred to simply as “the Deep Room,” it could only be accessed through special, heavily magically warded portals that were located in certain places such as the Head Master’s office, each master’s office, and some other places should those become compromised.

“This is where the School’s darkest secrets and most terrible mistakes are made” said Andraxes as they descended the staircase that spiralled down a massive hole. A loud, guttural moan rose from the depths, sending shivers down their spines.

“No need to worry” he said again. “Nothing here can hurt you.”

“So, uh, quick question” Finn began. “Why exactly are these people threatening Antheusa?”

“Not them” Andraxes corrected “Her. Their leader, Hephzibah. Our kingdom does not have a greater foe.”

“Why is that?” George asked. Lora already knew the answer.

“Why?” Andraxes began. “Several reasons, actually. She used to be a teacher here, a Master even. She knows the ins and outs of the school as good as any of us. Also, she is one of the most powerful living mages, barring Archmages, of course. Those mages that followed her are no slouches either.”

“Really?” Finn exclaimed.

“Indeed” Andraxes confirmed. “As you probably know, Spatial Magic Masters can travel to different dimensions. She used her Magic to travel to the dimension known as ‘Pandemonium’.”

“Pandemonium?” Finn repeated. “You mean, like, the realm of demons Pandemonium?”

“True” Andraxes confirmed “Though no actual demons live there. Pandemonium is fear made manifest. Where a man’s worst nightmares and deepest, darkest fears become real. It’s a place where one’s mind and body are inflicted with boundless, unthinkable horrors. Even with the best defenses against mental manipulation, most people can only last in that realm for a few minutes at most. Several of them never come back, having been consumed by the place.”

“But she did” said Lora.

Andraxes nodded in assent. “That’s right. Somehow, she was able to survive the horrors of that realm unscathed. She conquered Pandemonium, and now she can draw its power into herself. Who knows what she’s capable of doing now? What new powers she now possesses?”

Andraxes then raised his hand, signalling them to stop. Lora didn’t get the memo in time, and ended up colliding with Finn. In the midst of her apologizing, Andraxes placed his hand on the wall. It shook suddenly, like a drum being struck, then the wall parted before their very eyes, revealing a dimly lit corridor.

“This way” he said, as he entered the corridor. The four followed him through until they stopped at the front of what appeared to be a simple wooden door, and on the other side of the door were Lee, Anna, Moriah, the four other Masters and Lord Zerastra himself.

“Took you long enough” Balthazar quipped as they entered the room. The playful air around him vanished once he laid eyes on the children.

“You brought children here?” Moriah queried, expressing the other’s outrage.

“How could you?” Justinian snapped.

“That’s enough” Zerastra boomed, quieting any potential outbursts. “Master Andraxes, what is the meaning of this?”

“Good question” he replied. “These children have already figured out what’s going on…well, mostly at least. I’ve brought them here to show them the full picture.”

“Andraxes” Zerastra began, sternly. “I hope you remember why exactly we decided to keep this as secret as possible…”

“I remember, Lord Zerastra” he cut in. “But that no longer applies to these children, now does it?”

“Umm…” That came from George, who actually didn’t know what he was going to say after he had his attention; being this close to the Archmage himself was nerve-racking. The urge to do that simply came to him, which was why he became doubly nervous when he did get their attention.

Zerastra cast an angry look at Andraxes, then sighed. “Well, it would seem that I have no choice.” He stood up. “As you lot already know, this Hephzibah wishes to kill every human in Antheusa. We’ve suspected that she would try something like this for some time, and now our fears have been confirmed; we believe she plans on using the Wellspring.”

The four of them stared blankly. Located in a cavernous enclave deep underneath the capital, the Wellspring was the enormous source of energy for all the magic-powered devices in all of Antheusa…which of course meant the capital, as magic-powered appliances were extremely rare outside it. It operated by drawing in the ambient energy all over the country, concentrating it and distributing it to where it was needed. How she intended to use it to destroy the whole country was, unfortunately, beyond them.

“The details aren’t important” Zerastra continued, saving them the trouble of trying to figure that out. “We’ve suspected that she would pull something like this for quite some time, and we have made adequate countermeasures. Now, if you can excuse us.”

For a while, they said nothing, the crushing silence accentuated by the disappointingly anticlimactic revelation. Just as they turned to leave, however, Finn, without warning, spoke up.

“Why?” he asked. “Why would you think she’d want to destroy the country?”

The mages cast looks at each other; the meaning behind that question was clear. Zerastra closed his eyes and sat back down. “Are you insinuating that we did something to provoke this attack…?”

“Like wipe out her people?”

That took everyone, including George, Finn and Edward by surprise. A twinge of uncertainty rose in Lora’s belly as she suddenly became the centre of attention, but she quickly quashed it. “Every history book I’ve read said that the Gypsy people simply faded away, but that’s a lie! We killed them all! That’s why she’s doing this, isn’t it?”

Lora’s outburst had left them all dumbstruck. All the teachers present already knew that fact, of course, but the genocide was supposed to be a closely guarded secret. The fact that Lora knew that meant only one thing; Hephzibah herself had told her.

Zerastra clasped both his hands together. “That…what she told you, was not true.”

Lora took a step back. “What do you mean by that?”

He inhaled. “Antheusa did not destroy them, I did. I destroyed the Gypsy.”

A spatial rift opened up in front of Kendall, through which she casually stepped into a large space illuminated by a single glowing orb that hovered high above the ground. The other Blue Lily mages were standing around Hephzibah, who was the only one seated on a wooden chair. It wasn’t until the spatial rift closed that she noticed that all eyes were on her.

Nikolas chuckled. “Well look who finally decided to show up.”

“What?” she spouted indignantly.

“You’re late” Felix admonished, crossing his arms.

“Where the hell were you?” Samantha added.

“None of your freaking business” she replied in her defense, folding her arms and pouting like a petulant child. “I had things to take care of.”

“Need we remind you that this is our primary objective?” That came from Hugo. “Your disappearance almost implicated us.”

“That’s enough” Hephzibah declared. “Let’s get down to the business of today. We’re entering the final stages tonight.”

Even Kendall was taken aback by that announcement. Of course, they had all known that it would end any time soon, but the Ranking Exams hadn’t even been concluded yet. For her to begin so early was, mildly put, jarring.

Hephzibah kept talking. “As you might have noticed, the Red Witch isn’t here with us. She is busy preparing herself for her part of the plan. I propose you all do the same with the hour you have left.

“But milady” Kendall said. “The Ranking Exams aren’t even done yet. This is awfully early.”

“I know” she replied sharply. “I have determined that this is the best time to catch the Antheusan mages off guard. We need to make as much noise as possible with as little interference, so that the operation can proceed smoothly.”

Kendall nodded. The plan was simple; wreak as much havoc on the city as possible and keep the powerful Masters distracted, while the Wellspring was made to overload. They had all been briefed on it long before they touched Antheusan soil, but they had never been told when it would happen.

“I’ll go outside and start” said Hephzibah, getting up. “You all know your positions, I suggest you get there once I’m done.”

“Understood, ma’am” Felix said, bowing sharply.

“Good.” With that, she opened a portal. She paused just before she could step through, however. “There’s…one more thing I have to tell you.” She turned around, and they all saw the sadness in her eyes. “This operation is extremely dangerous and risky. Now, don’t get me wrong, we will succeed, but the Antheusan mages are powerful. There’s a high chance that you will all be killed, too.”

They all cast glances at each other, then, almost in unison, smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry about us, milady” said Felix. “We came here ready to die.”

“Yeah, those bastards are gonna pay” Nikolas harped from his strange helmet.

“An eye for an eye” Hugo stated.

Hephzibah could not help but smile as well. “Fine then, good luck.” As she stepped through the portal, the thoughts on her mind were of how much these people had sacrificed for her, and how much more they were going to sacrifice tonight. She could…no, she _would_ not let them down. She owed them that much.

The Red Witch allowed herself one last minute of introspection as she examined the ritual circle she had spent two hours carving into the ground; a circle nested within another circle with four intersecting lines running through them. She had always been a stickler for precision and accuracy, though in this case, as in most other cases, it was less as a result of her OCD and more because everything had to be perfect for this spell to work properly.

As she walked towards the centre, she felt the expected tingling throughout her body; the side effect of the special herb she had taken a few minutes ago in order to quicken the magical energy in her body, make it more fluid and responsive, as well as easier to flow out of her body. Mages usually took the herb if they were about to perform a particularly powerful working, and what she was about to do was anything if not powerful. Two days of ritual self-cleansing, two hours drawing this circle, and yet another sacrifice to be made, all to perform perhaps her most powerful working yet.

In just a few moments, her compatriots would most likely be engaging Antheusan mages in battle, doing their part in carrying out Hephzibah's plan. As for herself, battle of any kind had never been her forte. She was born small and weak, and she made her way through the known world with her wits and her determination. Even as a Master rank mage, she was not particularly useful in a fight. But there were more ways than one to defeat one's opponent.

Assuming a lotus position on the floor just in front of where the four lines intersected, she took a deep breath and began her chant. She recited the hidden names of invisible forces associated with fate, reality, pain…and imprisonment. She felt the magical energy gather around her, draping the area in a soft red glow as the forces whose names she called made themselves present and, drawn to the purity of her body and energy, began to coalesce around her, began feeding off her magical energy, which gave them form and power and purpose.

Finally, it was time for the most important part of the ritual. Of all the power that mankind- and indeed all sentient life- possessed, there was none more potent that the power of will. Will power could make a person do things that weren’t even within their normal ability to do. Will power allowed mankind to remold the world in its own image despite its weakness compared to most other mortal races. And there was no will more powerful than the will of a dying person. As the chanting grew to a crescendo, she slowly brought out an elaborate dagger and whispered to the air the reason for her summoning them; the single, terrible purpose for which she had brought them for. Then, without any hesitation, she slit her wrist.

She watched as the blood hit the intersection of the lines, then saw as it began to move of its own accord, flowing through the grooves on the ground like water down a stream. Then, without warning, the magical energy around her- her own magical energy- quickened, forming strange symbols in the air. Her fading eyesight could not properly see what the symbols were, but it wasn’t necessary. The spell had worked. She had succeeded.

Will power was extremely powerful, even more so when that will was focused on a single, specific objective. As the last of her strength left her body, she smiled, knowing that through her efforts, they would win. Antheusa would fall.


	18. Strong and Drang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Antheusan mages fight for the survival of the kingdom, while our four heroes are in the process of learning and important life lesson...or questioning everything they knew.

  
Standing precariously at the top of a tall spire located at the heart of the city, Hephzibah surveyed the landscape before her, the blue cloak that obscured her appearance fluttering in the wind. She watched the people below, going about their daily business even as the sun hung low in the sky and the shadows grew larger, doing their things as they would on any normal day, completely unaware of the death and horror that was about to befall them.

Slowly and deliberately, she raised her arms beside her, closing her eyes as she did so, then just as slowly brought them together, crossing them twice so that her fingernails touched each other. A faint purple glow surrounded her as a visualization of the immense amounts of magical energy she was building up. Then, with a flourish, she uncrossed her arms and cast then up to the night sky, at which point a purple magic circle spread from the sky above her and blanketed all of the capital in its eerie glow. She held her arms up for a few more minutes, then, with a sigh, she dropped them, upon which the circle vanished.

She lingered on for a moment, waiting to see- or hear- the fruits of her labour. And there it was; the screaming, the horrors, the cries of fear and confusion that ascended into the sky like a pillar of smoke. Soon enough, actual pillars of smoke began to emerge from certain places in the city.

Satisfied, she teleported away in a flash of light. It was time to complete her part of the operation. The rest was up to the others.

Zerastra slammed his fist on the table, shocking all the other teachers in the room.

“My Lord, what happened?” Malachi queried.

“Damned woman!” Zerastra muttered. “She’s begun to move already!”

Shock spread across the room. They hadn’t expected her to begin her attack until the exams were through, and she apparently knew that. She had caught them with their pants down.

“How are you certain of this?” Justinian asked.

Zerastra turned to Moriah. “Moriah, what’s happening on the surface?”

“Let me check” she said, then closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift to the place she wanted it to be. She gasped.

“What is it?” Andraxes queried.

“The…the whole town has gone mad. Hysteria everywhere. She must have used some sort of mass illusion spell on the entire capital. Her followers are causing havoc of their own, too.”

“Then we haven’t a moment to lose” Zerastra declared. “You all know your roles. Crush those bastards.” He faced Andraxes. “You must find and stop Hephzibah.”

That left him, as well as everyone else, mildly confused. “But sir, what about you?”

Zerastra growled. “I…I can’t leave. I’ve been trapped.”

“Trapped?” Justinian queried. He was about to ask how, but the answer soon became obvious. “The Red Witch. Damn her!”

“She must have laid an arcane curse on you, preventing you from leaving your current location” Balthazar theorized. “But a curse like that should be nothing to the like of you.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple” said Zerastra, slumping down on his seat. “It was a Death curse.”

“Oh.” For Balthazar and the others, that explained everything. Once a curse made with Arcane Magic was made, the object of the curse was made almost instantly aware of what type of curse it was, it’s effect and the conditions required to break it, in the form of a sudden premonition that a person’s fate had been altered somehow. Most curses could simply be undone by a skilled enough mage, but the Death curse was nigh unbreakable. Were Zerastra's Archmastery in Arcane Magic, he could have undone it easily. As it stood now, all he could do was try and force it to break by bombarding it with his considerable might, and Lord knew how long that would take.

“What are the curse's conditions” Jillian asked. He didn’t respond immediately, and that was a bad sign.

“Does it matter?” Malachi boomed, jumping up from his seat. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t change the fact that we must put these invaders down.” He turned towards Moriah. “Moriah, send the locations of the foreigners to all of us. You should also stay here with Lord Zerastra.”

Moriah nodded in response, then closed her eyes as she telepathically sent the information to them all. Satisfied, Malachi raised a hand and recited the special rote, and the portal required to enter the place appeared in front of him. “Let’s show these sons of vipers what they’re dealing with” he said to himself.

The four of them soon found that sitting in the same room with Zerastra was even more unsettling the second time around, even with everyone except Moriah gone. They had all concluded that it was, without a doubt, his last words to them before they were made to leave. They had sat on the steps closest to the door, strangely unwilling to talk about what he had said, or their experiencing the Archmage's presence for the first time, or anything for that matter. They just sat there, silently, until Moriah called them back in a few minutes later, only to find out that all the others were gone save the Headmaster himself, who was busy sitting in a lotus position on the floor.

Striking up a conversation with a man who had casually admitted to personally committing genocide was, as they had just found out, remarkably hard.

“Uh, excuse me, Lord Zerastra” said George finally. “but what exactly is happening?”

“It’s nothing to be concerned about” Moriah responded reflexively. “Be rest assured that everything is under…”

“Moriah” Zerastra cut in, surprising her. “No need to lie to them.” He faced the children. “The truth is that right now, as we speak, the capital city of Antheusa is up in flames.”

They all gasped in unison, as Zerastra expected they would. “Hephzibah and her cohorts have made their move. Right now, they’re up there killing Antheusan people. If their plan succeeds, millions more will perish, including us.”

He adjusted his posture. “The reason you don’t see the others here is because I dispatched them to deal with the mages. They are going to find each of them and destroy them.” His tone lowered infinitesimally. “I would have gone with them, but one of the foreign mages cast a Death curse that has trapped me here. I am currently in the process of breaking that curse.”

Then he stood up, taking everyone in the room, Moriah included, by surprise. “Let me ask you this, children. I have made up my mind to kill those mages. Does that make me…evil? Is it wrong to kill the people who are trying to kill us?”

Finn averted his gaze from the Archmage. None of the others said anything. Zerastra took that as an endorsement, so he continued. “Listen, children. You were thought that taking a life was wrong, and in most cases that is true. However, in reality, things don’t always work out that way. The world is an evil and dangerous place; even more so for a mage, and sometimes those who propagate this evil must be put down…”

“Like the Gypsy people?”

That came from Lora, who was now staring Zerastra right in the face and he at her. Finn, Edward and George were now looking at her too, but she was undeterred. “I mean, it must be my naïve child mind, but I just can’t understand what could make you want to kill off an entire race of people.”

Zerastra sighed and sat back down. “The Gypsy people were…problematic. Their lifestyle did not mesh well with that of Antheusans. With their arrival came an increase in the kingdom’s crime rate. By the time I performed the act, Antheusa was on the verge of collapse. The Nobles were considering segregation, but I knew that would simply make matters worse. I offered a much more…permanent solution.”

Lora sighed. “I…I understand.” Zerastra saw that as an admission of defeat, until he saw the look in her eyes. “I understand why you did that…and by that logic, Hephzibah’s doing nothing wrong either.”

“Lora!” Finn and Moriah exclaimed almost in unison. Zerastra groaned quietly and closed his eyes. Thanks to his being an Archmage, the copious amounts of magical energy he was expending to try and break the curse was no problem at all. It would still take a massive amount of time, however, so maybe spending it debating with children wasn’t too bad, right?

Nikolas was, much to his surprise, enjoying himself.

Ever since he was a child, machines had always fascinated him. From the windmills in his parents' huge farm to the wind-up toys that his uncle bought him for his birthdays, technology had held a special place in his heart. By the time he had become a fully fledged mage, the field of magitech was still in its infancy, and in many ways, as far as he was concerned, it still was. There was no denying, however, that it had gone a long way from its humble beginnings in no small part due to his efforts.

For the ultimate advancement of mankind was his only true goal and purpose in life. He saw how people trudged on in their lives, toiling and suffering uselessly, and he did everything in his power to improve their lot and make their lives better. Why? It was simple, actually; he hated inefficiency.

And yet here he was, killing random people on the street as they ran around, panicking and flailing under the effects of Hephzibah’s spell, while he waited for a mage to come fight him on the streets. There was nothing truly efficient or even logical about what he was doing, yet he was actually feeling good while doing so. Perhaps it was simply what was left of his human imperfections. That and the fact that these people spurned his genius and called him a madman.

He didn’t have the time to continue dwelling on the issue, however, for soon enough he laid eyes on the person he was waiting for; a mage.

“I was wondering when you would show up” he said as soon as he laid eyes on Malachi. Dressed in his usual white and blue garb, he looked strangely unperturbed by the chaos around him. “Well, where are the others?”

“Off dealing with the rest of you filth” Malachi responded gruffly.

“Aww” Nikolas cooed condescendingly. “And here I was thinking you’d be coming with some backup.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Nikolas” said Malachi as his hands began to crackle with electricity. “I don’t need assistance to kill you.”

“You know, I don’t get you” Nikolas continued. “You’re a Gypsy too, and yet you side with the man who destroyed them? Your people?”

Malachi inhaled, then exhaled. “I know it must be strange for you, why I have decided to side with Lord Zerastra. Indeed, there are times when I question my decision.”

Nikolas cocked his head. Was that…indecision he heard in his voice? If it was, it vanished quickly. “But then I remember all the horrible things they did. How they almost destabilized the kingdom despite it being kind enough to give them a home, and then I come to the same conclusion I always have; my people deserved their fate, just as you deserve what’s coming for you.”

Nikolas scoffed, and with nothing left to be said, their confrontation commenced. Stretching his arms, Malachi fired two arcs of lightning from his hands. The fact that the other mage's body was covered in metal should have made that attack much easier. Imagine his surprise then when he saw the Artificer completely unharmed.

“What the…?”

“Surprising, isn’t it” said Nikolas. A tiny, fly-like creature hovered in the air just beside him. Electricity cackled around it. Malachi looked on as, all of a sudden, what seemed to be hundreds of the tiny creatures emerged from the mage's back. Suddenly, Malachi felt that he was in a lot of trouble.

“In that case” Nikolas continued, raising an arm “let’s see how you handle this!”

The creatures flew at him at once, each one firing balls of fire, bolts of lightning, gusts of wind and all manner of things at him. One of them hit the ground with some strange energy, and it exploded instantly, the flying debris instantly coagulating into a vaguely human shape, which brought its hand down on him. He managed to escape that by teleporting, but that had put him right in the path of a barrage of elemental attacks. He barely managed to block them all with counter magic. Before he could even begin to catch his breath, his nostrils were assailed by a stench so foul he almost fell over. He quickly- and fearfully- realized what was going on, and teleported as far away as he could as the air which had been turned to methane gas was ignited. The resulting explosion obliterated a city block.

Dodge, block, weave. That was all poor Malachi could do to avoid dying. Nikolas laughed out loud. Those insect-like creatures, which he called his Demiurges, were created by a combination of his Mastery of Alchemical Magic and his own technical ingenuity. Each one was fitted with a special crystal that amplified energy and was programmed to cast a single spell. Where, in a normal duel, he would have to worry about countering a spell or two at a time, the poor lad had to deal with hundreds of attacks at a time.

“How do you like my Demiurges?” Nikolas yelled as one of them fired a beam at Malachi. He warped out of the way, of course, leaving the beam to hit an unfortunate bystander, who, after a few moments, exploded in a hail of gore.

Nikolas stopped his barrage of attacks once he realized that Malachi had disappeared. “Where are you, Malachi?” he yelled. “You’ve fallen back to regroup, or have you realized that you’re completely outmatched?” Silently behind him, Malachi appeared holding a bow and arrow made of light. He took a second to aim, then fired it at the small of his back. To his shock, one of the strands of cloth that made up the other one's strange attire suddenly sprang up and parried the arrow.

Nikolas turned around, chuckling softly. “Did you really think you could blindside me?”

Malachi smiled confidently. “It was worth a shot.”

Growling, Nikolas gestured towards his foe, and the Demiurges surged at him, blasting him with a barrage of spells. But, as Nikolas soon noticed, something was different. This time, Malachi didn’t even try to dodge. Instead, he stood still, all the spells bouncing off a blue shield of energy surrounding him.

“What’s this?” Nikolas growled. “What’s going on?”

“I have to admit, that was quite the ingenious skill of yours” Malachi stated. “Most mages can only counter a single spell at a time. Against this, they would be swamped.” He inhaled. “However, I am not most mages.”

Slowly, he raised his arms. “This is the _Parma Magica._ It’s an Arcane Magic spell of my own design that instantly adapts to any Magic that is thrown at it, instantly nullifying it.”

Nikolas' rage grew, and so did the magic bow and arrow that Malachi was holding. “And this…is the Arrow of Enlightenment!”

He fired the arrow straight towards Nikolas. He tried to defend himself, but before it ever got to him, the arrow exploded, showering him with light so bright it temporarily blinded him. By the time he regained his sight, he found all his Demiurges lying inert on the ground.

Nikolas scoffed. It didn’t take a genius to know what he had done. “So, you figured out how to break my spell.”

“That’s right” Malachi declared, dissipating the bow. “Once I’ve figured out how a spell works, I can render it inert with the Arrow of Enlightenment. But that’s not all…”

While Malachi stood there talking, Nikolas intended to shock him by showing that he could simply reactivate them remotely. So he did so…and found, to his horror, that he couldn’t.

“You just tried to reactivate them, didn’t you” said Malachi, a smug smile on his face.

Nikolas was now thoroughly confused. “W-What gives? What did you do to me?”

“I am a Master of Arcane Magic” he began. “And I know the inner workings of Magecraft.” He picked up one of the Demiurges. “You control these things through invisible threads of magical energy. So not only did I sever those threads, I disabled their ability to respond to them, rendering your spells useless.” His speech concluded, he began to gather enormous amounts of electricity in his hands. “It’s over for you.”

Nikolas raised his hands to block in what seemed like a feeble attempt to defend himself as the lightning leapt from his hands. Malachi smiled in satisfaction as it hit him squarely…then only barely managed to defend himself as it hit him right back.

Due to his unpreparedness, the blow managed to knock him prone and mildly burn his left arm. Wincing, he scrambled back to his feet to see both of his opponent's mechanical arms outstretched towards him, steam rising from the openings on his palms. Nikolas began to laugh.

“How’s that!” he yelled triumphantly. “It’s not just my arms, either. My legs, my stomach, every part of my body has been transformed from a useless mound of meat attached to fragile bones to a marvel of mechanical efficiency! None of your pitiful attacks will even hurt me!”

Malachi frowned. “You turned yourself into a monster.”

“I am literal perfection!” he yelled angrily. “I would have brought the same gift to everyone in Antheusa had you closed-minded idiots not stopped me, but you did! And now you will pay!”

Then he began to fire at him with a barrage of fireballs from his hand holes, none of which touched Malachi thanks to his Parma Magica. Malachi, on the other hand, took a deep breath, clasped his hands together in seeming prayer and concentrated. _I didn't think I'd have to do this_ he thought, _but it seems I have no choice._

Malachi was a Master of both Arcane and Elemental Magic. Thus, expending an immense amount of energy and concentration, he reached out with his soul, past the physical world, past the spiritual realm, past everything, until he touched the very fundamental nature of the universe itself, then pulled that into himself. Right before Nikolas’ eyes, Malachi began to change. His body began to glow white on his right side and a shadowy black on his left. His right eye had become a flawless blot of darkness, while his left shone a brilliant white. This was his most powerful spell; wushi.

“The heck” was all Nikolas could get out before, without warning, Malachi appeared right in front of him and placed both hands on either side of his head. He realized, too late, what Malachi was doing, as he felt his helmet literally being split into its fundamental makeup of yin and yang. He couldn’t even struggle, as the unbearably excruciating pain turned his muscles to jelly. Minutes later, Malachi let go, the helmet disintegrating to pieces as he did so.

“Damn” Malachi said to himself as Nikolas’ true face was revealed; a rather unremarkable face with deep brown hair. “I honestly believed that mask was your true face.”

Wordlessly, Nikolas touched his face, then, taking the Antheusan completely by surprise, began to scream hysterically, covering his face.

“NO” he yelled. “D-DON’T LOOK AT ME! I’M HIDEOUS!” Then he began to sob. “The only piece of human flesh I couldn’t remove. The only piece of disgusting, revolting…”

Malachi rushed at him again, placing both hands as he did so before. Strangely enough, as the man began to split into yin and yang, all Malachi felt was pity. His obsession had consumed him, much like it had many other mages. Some people simply weren’t supposed to be given any kind of power or validation, because in the end they would simply abuse it, like his people, like this man.

Malachi let go of the spell, his body fading back to normal as Nikolas crumbled away. His objective achieved, he turned to leave, only to tumble to the ground as his knees gave in. _Damnit_ he thought. _I used up everything I had, and now I can barely move_. With the last of his strength, he lay on his back and closed his eyes, hoping that the others won their fights as well.


	19. Clash of Beliefs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the battle for Antheusa rages on, our heroes learn an uncomfortable truth.

  
Samantha took a moment to more closely observe the mayhem that had been caused by a combination of Hephzibah’s spell and her own pets. Descending from her enchanted floating staff, she dispassionately surveyed her surroundings, all the while ignoring the carnage that surrounded her. All around her, innocent people ran around in terror or flailed uselessly at the air, attacking monsters that weren’t real, fleeing from horrors that didn’t exist. Eventually, some of these unfortunate souls were smashed to a bloody pulp by her “pets”; massive golems that had been enchanted to become animate at her command and with a little energy expenditure. These twenty foot tall monsters moved slowly, but were nigh-indestructible and extremely strong, not to mention completely under her will. As the destruction and death continued around her, only one thought crossed her mind; serves them right.

She almost didn’t notice the young woman lying on the ground at her feet. Squatting, Samantha raised her head up to get a better look. She was bleeding profusely from her forehead and was barely conscious. She couldn’t have been a day over twenty. Then Samantha began to hear- not just hear but feel- the earth-shaking footsteps of one of her golems. Left on its current path and without any outside intervention, this young woman would be crushed, and, for the faintest moment, Samantha felt hesitation.

Then, with a sigh, she let go of the woman. “And she was a looker, too” she said out loud.

Shock spread across her face when the young woman, out of nowhere, began to glow a soft yellow, sparkles emanating from her body. Then she disappeared without a trace. Samantha looked around and saw the same thing happening all around her; civilians, both the active and downed ones, all who were still alive, began to glow, then vanish. She tensed up, as that could only mean one thing; outside interference. Her opponent was nearby.

And true to form, he arrived, walking casually towards her with his arms behind his back. Samantha laughed internally. It was almost poetic, she thought, that the mage who would come approaching her was the one person in Antheusa she wanted dead the most.

“All the survivors have been teleported safely away” said Justinian as he walked towards the female mage. “Your terror ends here, and you along with it.”

“Well, that’s just sad” she responded. “And I was just starting to get to like that woman.” She was, of course, referring to the one she found lying on the ground.

Justinian snorted. “Of course, you were always one of those 'free love' types. It’s one of the reasons I could never stand you during your time in the school.”

Samantha’s mood darkened. “I figured as much” she said. “Pretentious bigots like you are all over the place. That’s why I simply couldn’t stand being here any longer.” She raised a hand, silently rallying her golems. “You never really said it outright- nobody does, really. But I could tell, from the way you looked at me, the way you spoke to me, and- and this was the kicker- the way you denied me my promotion to the Adept rank for two years.” She said that last statement with venom in her voice. Justinian scoffed. “You always looked down on me, and you’re still looking down on me.” She smiled. “Funny thing is, you’ll probably keep looking down on me after I’ve taken your life.”

His chuckling soon after that both annoyed and worried her. “You think you can beat me?” he boasted as he raised his arms beside him. Then he began to glow. It was faint compared to the brilliant white glow that surrounded him,but Samantha could make out what looked like an ethereal scale made of gold forming behind him. Then two white-glowing summoning circles appeared on the ground at either side of him, and from them emerged two weapons. From his right, a golden, brilliantly worked broadsword emerged. A groove ran down the middle, on which were several runes depicting conquest and power. From his left emerged a massive shield. Almost as tall as he was, it too had runes engraved on its rims. It was split halfway down the middle and two auroch-like horns were placed on either side of the split.

“I represent order” he declared as the light surrounding him faded into a soft glow. “And you represent chaos, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that order always trumps chaos.” Now he was shouting. “Samantha, today you will fall to my holy blade!”

 _Awfully chatty today, aren't we_ she said to herself, exasperation all over her face. Then with a gesture, the golems rushed towards him.

Justinian gestured as well, telekinetically moving his sword, which flew towards the leading golem. Then, with a sharp upward motion of his right hand, the sword slashed the golem vertically, bifurcating it instantly. It fell in two halves on the ground with a mighty thud.

Samantha grunted as his sword sliced up her golems like cheese. She specialized in Enchanting; using her Mastery of Arcane Magic, along with skill in other Paths to imbue a normal object with magical properties, just like her golems, which she had imbued with animation, supernatural resilience and a singular desire to serve her. The fact that his merely alchemically enhanced weapons could so easily destroy them earned him some begrudging respect from her.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she barely noticed the sword hurtling towards her. It turned out she didn’t need to, much to his chagrin, as the blade simply bounced off the spatial barrier surrounding her. Then one of the golems had come within striking range thanks to his distraction, raising a mighty arm to crush him. But he responded by gesturing with his left hand, bringing the shield in between himself and the golem. It hit it squarely, then was knocked back as its own force was blown back at it. Without missing a beat, Justinian gestured once more with his right hand and the golem was cut into pieces like a cake.

“Not bad” she said, then brought out several tiny sculptures from a pouch and threw them on the floor. Justinian took a step back as the tiny statuettes began to grow rapidly, eventually becoming nine more golems. These ones were different from the ones she had before; they were smaller, less human shaped, and as he found out soon enough, faster.

Samantha laughed out loud as Justinian tangoed with the golems. As a mage, she focused on enchantments and hexes (effectively discount curses), which meant that active combat wasn’t her specialty. If she did ever find herself in a fight against a mage of the same rank as her, she relied purely on the strategy she was using now; have her golems do the actual fighting for her, while she hung back and inflicted debilitating hexes on her opponent. As the other mage busied himself with fending off the golems, she closed her eyes and concentrated, chanting inaudibly, stringing together a hex of physical weakness and mental disorientation. Then, with the last syllable, she flung it at him.

Hexes were weaker and more limited in their effects than curses, but had the dual advantage of being faster to cast and being much more effective in a direct confrontation. Justinian felt the effects of the hex almost immediately, falling to the ground on his hands and knees as a strange fatigue hit him. “You…witch” he cursed, struggling to raise his head up to see her even as the remaining golems closed in on him. “What did you do to me?”

“It’s called a hex, old man” she said condescendingly. “Feels awfully bad, doesn’t it? No need to worry. My golems will make you feel all better.”

At that point, they had completely surrounded him, with a sigh, she turned to leave. _To be honest, I didn’t think it’d be this easy_ she thought.

She soon found herself about to eat those words. Just as she was about to take off, what seemed like an explosion rattled the air around her. She turned around to see none other than Justinian, a soft yellow aura enveloping him, standing and staring defiantly at her. The golems closest to him had been destroyed instantly by the outburst, and the others approached him warily. Inwardly, he chuckled. To think that golems can feel fear.

“Okay,I’m sorry, but what just happened?” Samantha queried.

Justinian dropped to a wide stance, letting go of his shield. Then his sword became wreathed in fire. “I will admit, your skill in Arcane Magic exceeds mine. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have some tricks of my own up my sleeve!” Then with a mighty heave, he swung his sword with both hands, sending a wave of fire so hot and bright Samantha was forced to move away from it. By the time the smoke cleared, she found Justinian standing prime over the rubble that was her golem army.

“W-What the…”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” It was his turn to sound condescending. “Fine. Allow me to show you. Think of it as a parting gift.” Then he raised his arms just like last time, and this time she saw it clearly; the scales.

“These are the scales” he began. “And right now they are tipped in your favour. But the scales must be balanced, thus is the effect of the scales. Whenever I’m at a disadvantage, my power will rise to even the odds! In other words, I can’t be beaten!”

Samantha gritted her teeth, and Justinian smiled, not so much because of her consternation, but because his bluff had worked. The scales did not make him more powerful so much as it merely raised the intensity of his energy which, while it made his spells stronger for a while, also tired him out, and could do serious harm to his body and soul. Nevertheless, he now had a fighting chance, and he was not about to waste it. Grabbing his shield, and using Nature Magic to enhance his body, he charged at her.

 _What does he think he’s doing_ she thought bemusedly as he crashed against her barrier for the third time. _Does he think he can just brute force his way through my shield?_ But then, as he hammered at her for the fourth time, she saw it. Her barrier began to waver, grow weaker. That was when it hit her; counter magic. He was using spatial countermagic through his sword. His sword was a wand.

In her growing desperation, she cast Elemental Magic, causing pillars of rock to shoot up from the ground in an attempt to defend herself and impede him, but Justinian simply barreled through each one with his shield and enhanced strength. Samantha growled. _No_ she said mentally. _I’m not going to lose to this asshole._ Then from her pouch she pulled out a golden ring with a strange grey crystal set in it. If one looked closely at the crystal, he or she would be able to see a smoke-like miasma, periodically interrupted by the horribly distorted faces sloshing about. Carefully, she placed the ring on her index finger. This was her final trump card.

Justinian lunged at her, about to strike her again when he suddenly found himself repulsed so violently he was blown back with much more force than his initial leap, crashing to the ground on his back. Wincing from the pain, he got up to see a black miasma enveloping the female mage. Unfortunately, that was the least of his worries. Almost immediately after he got up, a sharp pain shot up through his left arm. A pain so intense it almost brought him to his knees. He cast a look at the offending arm, and his discomfort instantly turned to horror as he beheld the withered mass of bones and dead flesh that was his arm.

“W-What did you do to me?” he queried. It wasn’t a hex, and he didn’t know of any spell that could cause flesh to deteriorate so quickly. Except…

A soft chuckle emanated from Samantha, which eventually exploded into a full-blown maniacal cackle. All around her, plants and objects aged and rotted away instantaneously. She even had to come down from her flying staff, as it soon rotted away into nothing. There was no mistaking the kind of power she was using.

“Necromancy. The Magic Path of death.”

Necromancy was one of the two forbidden Paths of Magic. To practice it, one needed to have a connection to death. Most would-be necromancers did this by turning themselves into Liches. “So how?” he asked. “How on Earth are you doing that?”

Still giggling, Samantha flashed the ring at him. “Why don’t ya have a look-see.”

“The Ring of Pymander” he whispered grimly. Forged by the infamous necromancer mage after whom it was named, it gave one the power to use Necromancy without having to become a Lich or perform some other gruesome ritual. It was also said to corrupt the user’s mind, however, turning them into a vessel for Pymander over time. “She’s completely lost it.”

He gritted his teeth in pain as the rot began to spread throughout his body. Samantha raised a hand, and from the ground shadowy spectres began to emerge. “How’s that, pal?!” she screamed, laughing maniacally. “You looked down on me, belittled me for no other reason than I was attracted to women! But now, things have changed.” With a motion of her hand, the spectres lunged at him. “It’s time for you to DIE!”

Instead of panicking, however, he simply closed his eyes, preparing his mind for what was to come. Then, just before the first one could hit him, he raised his head and roared at the heavens. “Great Selaphiel! I beseech you!”

The horde of spectres swarmed him, tackling him to the ground. Samantha guffawed in triumph.

As it turned out, though, her triumphant laugh was premature, as at that moment, she saw the clouds overhead begin to stir and gather rapidly. Then, before she could begin to register what was going on, a brilliant ray of light struck the ground where Justinian and her spectres where. By the time she could see again, her spectres had been completely vaporized, and in their place stood a gigantic, man-like figure clad in brilliant glowing armour. His six feathery wings enveloped the whole place in a golden glow. His eyes, which were like stars, glared furiously at her. She only barely noticed Justinian standing just in front of the thing, his body perfectly mirroring its posture. It was hard to tell, but she could even see his wounds rapidly healing, the effects of her first necromantic attack being reversed.

“No” she said despondently. “No, no, no, no, NO! HOW CAN THIS BE? WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?!”

“Samantha” said Justinian…or was it the angel? She couldn’t tell, as the voice he spoke in was definitely not entirely his. “You have inflicted the stain of the underworld on the physical world.” He raised his sword. “And for that crime, you will be removed from this world.”

She never felt it, never felt the sword cut through her as the mage whizzed past her, but she knew. She knew that, with that strike, her life was over. Slowly, she fell on her knees, defeated.

Not too long afterwards, the angelic figure vanished uneventfully, along with the glow in his eyes. Justinian turned to see his vanquished for on her knees. Slowly, she turned to face him, unimaginable spite on her face. Then, having expended the last of her strength, she closed her eyes and collapsed. Her body turned to dust before she hit the ground.

Justinian moved towards the heap of dust that was his opponent, looking for the things she left behind. He found her pouch were she kept all her golems and other things, and, more importantly, the Ring.

“You never understood, Samantha” he said quietly as he picked up the Ring. “Your sexuality was merely a symptom of your perverse and twisted nature.”

He stared into the horizon, wondering how many years of his life had been shaved away by summoning that Seraphim. It had taken literally divine intervention to beat her. He hoped the others were doing okay.

It took a while, but Zerastra could finally feel himself making some progress. It was only a matter of time before the curse was shattered, and once it was, he was coming for Hephzibah’s throat.

In the meantime, he had these four children in front of him, who all probably hated him now that they knew the motivation behind this terror attack. Earlier, the Grigori girl had said that Hephzibah’s actions were just as justifiable as his own. Their naiveté genuinely annoyed him, but he also knew that they were children, and he was a teacher. So as a teacher, it was his duty to educate them on the intricacies of the known world. 

“So that’s what you think, am I correct?” he began. “You think that Hephzibah has the right to destroy our people because I destroyed hers?”

Lora flinched at the thought of people she knew dying, but she quickly remembered the point she was trying to make. “Well…that’s right. But…that’s also wrong. What she’s doing is wrong. But what you did was wrong too. The Gypsy people distressed the kingdom, and in retaliation you had them all killed! Now one of them is getting her revenge by killing us, and you want to kill her and her comrades in retaliation!” She got up. “Don’t you get it, Lord Zerastra, two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Zerastra closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they saw that they had softened. 

“Alright then” he said, adjusting his sitting position “what do you propose I do?”

Lora stood silent. Neither of them were prepared for that question. “Well?” Zerastra pressed. “What would you have had me do with the Gypsy people? What would you have me do with these people? Should I have left them to their own devices as Antheusa burned? Should I let these invaders do as they please? Or perhaps I should try talking to them, like you are to me right now, is that it?”

George tried to respond, but found that he couldn’t. He had nothing to say, none of them did, really. There was no easy way to do so.

Zerastra sighed. “Listen, children. The line that divides good from evil is not always clear-cut. The Gypsy people might not have done what they did intentionally, and Hephzibah definitely feels that her actions are just, but you could say the same thing about mine.” He paused ever so slightly. “My actions were done for the sole purpose of protecting the people of Antheusa. My people. And there is nothing wrong about protecting one’s people.” He straightened his back. “In the end, what we have here is a simple conflict of interest. It is in times like this that the burning question is asked; whose side are you on?”

The room fell into a deep silence after his speech. Feeling that he had finally gotten through to them, he resumed his wearing down on the seal. He could only hope that he could break free before it was too late.

“Alright, that should be everyone” Ember mused as she let the last student into the room. She, alongside Lee, Anna, Balthazar, Cassandra, Macross and all the students save the four were holed up in what was deemed to be the most defensible place in the school; the Library basement. Hephzibah’s spell was just as effective on the school as it was everywhere else in the capital. Fortunately, most of the teachers were able to defend themselves against her psychic assault. These teachers were able to round up and pacify the affected people, but found that they weren’t able to break the spell. Thankfully, who better to arrive at the scene than Master Balthazar.

“Thanks for letting us use the library basement, Master Balthazar” she continued. “…and also for curing everyone.”

“No need for thanks” he responded. “I am simply doing my duty. By the way, where are all the other staff?”

“Out in the city” said Macross. “When they were done here, they left to help out there.”

“I see” he responded, then he began pacing, trying not to focus on the noisiness of the agitated students on the other side of the door. “The other Masters are currently engaging Hephzibah’s henchmen in combat. It’s high time I set off to do the same.”

“That bitch” Ember swore. “We should have never let her in the kingdom in the first place.”

“Master Balthazar” Lee began. “You were able to neutralize the spell in the school. Can’t you do the same thing for the rest of the capital?”

Balthazar shook his head. “I’m afraid curing the entire capital is beyond what I’m capable of doing.” He paused for a moment in contemplation. “Hephzibah is in a league of her own. Frankly, I’m surprised she’s not an Archmage yet…”

It was Ember who first noticed the Chief Librarian's sudden agitation. “Did something happen?”

Balthazar turned to face them. “Two of the foreign mages have entered the School premises, it would seem.”

“Damnit!” Macross exclaimed. “What happens now? What do we do?”

“Relax, Macross” Lee said, placing a hand on his back. Then he turned to the Master. “What do we do now, Master Balthazar?”

To Lee’s mild surprise, he did not pause to think or hesitate even a little before speaking. “Isn’t it obvious? We will fight them.” With that, he spoke a few arcane words, and a rift in space appeared before him. “The two mages are Hugo and Kendall. The latter is heading towards the boys dormitory, the former is headed here. I will face Hugo. Lee, Anna, you will face Kendall. The rest of you should stay here and protect the students.” Without another word, he stepped through the rift. 

“Shall we?” said Lee with a smile, extending a hand.

“Whatever, drama queen” Anna responded. The two of them didn’t open any rift, instead simply vanishing in a flash of light.

And as all of this happened, the only thing Ember could think of was how in the world Balthazar got all that information.

Balthazar reappeared at the entrance to the library, at the end of a long flight of large stairs. Walking brazenly through the front door of your enemy’s base was undoubtedly some sort of tactical error, and yet, based on his observation, that was exactly how his enemy had decided to approach them. Balthazar smiled inwardly. This Hugo fellow was either stupid or cocky, and either way, this was an advantage for him.

The person he was waiting for dropped literally out of the sky, landing on the pavement in a hail of dust and debris, some of which got to him. The dust cleared to reveal a powerfully built woman, just over seven feet in height, with ebony skin and wavy purple hair. The only clothes she wore covered her essentials and her feet.

“Quite bold of you to simply stroll in through the front door” Balthazar began. 

The woman did not respond. “Come now” he continued “Playing dumb? Or does your gender swapped persona answer to a different name?”

Hugo chuckled. “No, I don’t. I am still Hugo, and gender is just one of the many skins I wear.” She cocked her head. “Besides, from what I’ve heard about you, sneaking up on you is quite pointless.”

Balthazar chuckled. Hugo was, of course, referring to his signature spell; the Hundred Eyes. By combining Mind Magic and Spatial Magic, he could see everyone and everything within a certain radius. He usually used this spell for the library alone. This time, however, he had spread that radius to encompass the entire school. It was more taxing to maintain, but it was undoubtedly worth it.

“I’m curious about something” Balthazar continued. “Your people were a victim of genocide as well. Is that why you decided to side with her? Because of some sort of solidarity?”

“That’s precisely correct” Hugo responded resolutely. The ground beneath her began to shake as she built up magical energy. “When my people were destroyed, I was powerless to do anything, and no one was willing to help me. I would never return the favour to another person in the same situation.” She dropped to a low stance. “And to add to the answer to your previous question, as to why I came barging through the front door, it’s because I didn’t come here for the children; I came here for you.”

Balthazar’s countenance didn’t change. “Not here for the children, you say? And why is that?”

Hugo said nothing in response, but to the librarian, the answer was clear.

Balthazar closed his eyes as a soft golden glow enveloped him and ethereal symbols danced around his being, appearing and disappearing intermittently. “Oh, so now you don’t want to kill children? Now it’s not okay?” Then, with a flourish, the golden aura along with the symbols exploded from him. Hugo smiled. She could sense the rage in his voice as he spoke. The time for talking was over.

Hugo, to Balthazar’s mild concern, began to dance. A strange, esoteric dance. She started slowly, at first, then she began to pick up speed, the multicolored glow surrounding her increasing in intensity as she moved. Balthazar himself was making preparations of his own, as golden symbols began to take shape around him.

Finally, and suddenly, Hugo stopped, then crouched down on all fours. Her body began to ripple and blur as her skin was replaced with fur, her nails with claws, her human eyes with those of a predator. As she fully assumed her leopard shape, Balthazar’s concern grew. This was no ordinary Nature Magic transformation, this was something else. And he wasn’t just thinking that because the creature she transformed into was bigger than any leopard had the right to be.

Without warning, she lunged at him with tremendous speed. The downwards swipe of her claws destroyed the ground in which he was standing on. Was standing on, as he had safely teleported away before her attack hit. Unfazed, she whirled around to see him a fair distance away. Without missing a beat, she bounded towards him. Before she got to him, though, a huge symbol made itself manifest on the ground, and as soon as Hugo got within its area, spikes erupted spontaneously from the ground up, seemingly skewering her.

Balthazar immediately teleported back to his previous position, having no illusions of how much damage that did. With a mighty roar, Hugo exploded from her confinement, this time in the shape of a mighty mammoth, then charged at him with a singular fury. But then another symbol appeared on the ground, and this time a spatial rift opened up from under her, sending her into an unceremonious freefall. Before the rift could close, however, she escaped in the shape of a huge hawk and dove at him talons first with a horrific screech. But yet again a symbol appeared before her, this time in the air, and she immediately found herself trapped in a bubble. As she soon found out, however, this was no ordinary bubble. 

_A reality bubble, created by Master tier Spatial Magic_ she said in her mind. _Damnit_!

Balthazar casually looked towards her. “Had enough yet?”

Hugo could not talk in that form, but Balthazar definitely heard the “in your dreams” in the screech that followed. Then, in a move that truly shocked him, she slipped out- not broke through or nullified, but _slipped out-_ of the bubble, transforming yet again into a rhinoceros. Balthazar teleported once again behind her before she could hit.

For what seemed like an eternity, everything was still and silent. Then Hugo slowly reverted back to her human form. “Impressive, Mr. Balthazar” she said, turning towards him. “I have to admit, that’s a very unusual way to cast spells.”

Balthazar smiled nervously. “So, you know.” Balthazar considered himself a Kabbalist; someone who specializes in the Kabbalistic style, and using his Mastery of both Mind and Spatial Magic, he could employ the effects of Kabbalistic spellcasting on the magical energy around him. Using the ethereal symbols he conjured, he could cast complex spells with minimal exertion by simply having those concepts directly alter the ambient energy in his surroundings.

“Good for you” he continued. “Earlier I mistook you for some dumb brute, but I was wrong, apparently.” He took a few steps forward. “It’s good that you know how my spell works, after all, knowledge is power.” His smile became wider. “However, I also know how your spell works as well. You aren’t just shapeshifting, you’ve somehow drawn the spirits that represent those animals into you, effectively making them a part of you, for the time being, which is how you could slip past a reality bubble without dissipating it.” He stopped smiling. “You did it with that dance you did earlier, didn’t you?”

Hugo regarded him for a long moment, then sighed. “That…was a traditional dance of my people.” Balthazar noted the pain and longing that was suddenly in his voice. “The men would do that just before they went hunting, in order to gain the protection of the animal spirits.” 

A long pause followed, then she roared loudly at the sky. “Balthazar!” she yelled once she was done. For reasons he couldn’t explain, that had sent shivers down his spine. “Now that we know how each other’s spell works, this has become a battle of endurance. Prepare yourself!”

Balthazar gave an audible sigh as the golden glow enveloped him again, preparing himself physically and, more importantly, mentally, for a long, drawn out fight. He sincerely hoped the others weren’t having this hard a time.


	20. Order vs Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fighting rages on on multiple fronts. As the confrontation reaches its endgame, the actions of a few key players will determine the outcome of the invasion, and the future of all of Antheusa.

  
"You know, Lee, I just realized something” said Anna as she stood at the entrance to the boys dormitory. “I’ve never been here before…well, in here, I mean.”

“Well, you aren’t a boy, are you?” Lee responded. “There’s no real reason for you to be here.”

“Well, yeah, I know. But I think it’s weird, you know. I mean, I’ve been to places most of the other teachers don’t even know exist. And yet, I’ve never entered this building, this…perfectly ordinary building that so many people have been in.”

“So, you’re saying you always wanted to go in?” He gave her a knowing look.

Anna scoffed. “Some of the boys probably wish I’d go in there.”

Lee turned his sight towards the building. “In any case, our quarry is inside that building, so you finally get the chance to go in like you always wanted.”

Anna nodded absent-mindedly, her thoughts more focused on their opponent than what Lee was implying by that statement. It didn’t last long, though. “H-Hey!” she blurted. “What did you mean by that?” 

“Enough dallying around” said Lee, completely ignoring her as he went into the building. “Let’s get a move on.”

Anna glowered silently at him for a few seconds before following him. She vowed to give him an earful if they survived this.

Lee and Anna considered themselves fortunate that they ran into Kendall in a hallway. As they were designed against destructive spells or tools used by overeager students, the hallways were the safest place in the whole building to wage a magic battle. Inwardly, though, Anna still had her misgivings about the whole thing. For one, it was designed against student mages, not Adept Majors like her and Lee, let alone Masters like the woman standing before them. She just hoped the collateral damage wouldn’t be too much.

“Well what do we have here?” Lee quipped as soon as he laid eyes on her.

Kendall gave them a scathing glare. “You two… you’re teachers, aren’t you? Where are the children?”

“You mean your partner never told you?” Anna said.

The both of them immediately noted the mild confusion on her face soon after. There was no mistaking it. “I see. So the two of you are operating independently, is it?” That came from Lee as he stroked his goatee. “That’s awfully strange. I would have thought that…”

“SHUT UP!” Kendall yelled, shocking them both in spite of themselves. “I won’t ask a third time. Where, are, the, children?”

Lee was about to ask her why she wanted the children, but Anna spoke up before she could. “It’s the Firebrand kid you want. The one named George, is it?”

“His father humiliated me” she hissed. “He humiliated me, then decided to die before I could pay him back.” She gave what Anna instantly chalked up as the most sordid smile she had ever seen. “I’m simply returning the favour.”

Lee stepped forward. “We can’t let you do that, unfortunately.”

Kendall’s body began to glow yellow, embers dancing around her form. “If you won’t tell me where they are, then just die!”

Raising both her hands, she did a little twirl and from her finger tips erupted an enormous gout of fire. The flames would have destroyed a stone building, but they did nothing to the magically reinforced walls. They did nothing to the two mages either, as she soon found out, for the first thing she saw once she stopped was Anna with one hand outstretched, her body wreathed in impossibly brilliant fire that was draped over her like a ball gown. 

Directly behind her was a mildly rattled Lee, who was only just coming to terms with what had happened. He saw Anna draped in her Fire Empress armour and frowned. “Do you really want to use that, Anna?”

She turned her head to face him. “I’ll be fine. You on the other hand should probably hang back for now.

Lee smiled. The sigils that decorated her body all represented pacts made with several different fey spirits, and with a short verbal command, she could call on the powers of any of those spirits to augment her own, like she had just done with a fire elemental. What those sigils represented, and what she had to give up- or was currently giving up- to obtain the spirit’s help, no one could tell. But to her, it was the prize, not the cost, that mattered. That was one of the things he liked about her, and as he fell back a safe distance, he hoped that would be enough.

“You think that'll save you?” she bellowed as she let loose another torrent of fire. This time, Anna responded in kind, their two streams clashing with such force it sent tremors throughout the building. Eventually, though, Lee saw Anna stumble ever so slightly. She was losing this clash, pushed back by the Master’s greater power.

Kendall laughed out loud, sensing that she was winning. Then she began to see steam. It started slowly at first, but quickly clouded over her vision. She halted her attack as her mind was suddenly flooded with questions; what just happened? Why the steam? What happened to the other mage. Then a sharp pain shot through her whole body as something knocked her down. Frantically, she scrambled back up, clutching her stomach in pain, determined to find out what had done that. By that time, the vapour had thinned out a bit, allowing her to make out a shape on the other side. One wearing what seemed like a crop top with a long skirt that was parted down the right, all of which seemed to be made with a glowing blue liquid.

“The hell?” she said, still clutching her stomach. Then, right before her eyes, the steam began to coalesce around the figure, starting slowly but becoming gradually faster until the one behind it could clearly be seen. Kendall chuckled. “A new power up?”

Anna smirked. “What’s the matter, scared?”

This time, Anna went first, unleashing a huge wave of water at her foe. Kendall would not be undone so easily, however, for having sufficiently recovered from the blow, she raised both her arms and gave a loud clap, sending a powerful gust of wind to repel the water, which it did flawlessly.

Anna grunted as she increased the intensity of the current, but the foreign Master wasn’t done yet. Even as her blast of air continued to do its job, she prepared another attack. She raised her hands yet again, then forcefully gestured towards Anna with all her fingers. She only noticed, far too late, what she had done when eight holes spontaneously appeared on her torrent of water; those eight holes would have spontaneously appeared on her, had it not been for Lee who, at the very last minute, enveloped her with two massive, scaly hands.

Kendall laughed. “For a moment, I thought you were just going to stand and watch while I murdered your partner.”

Slowly, Lee retracted the giant hands back into his back; he had taken off his coat and shirt. “I advise you not jump to conclusions. I merely shielded her from one attack.”

“This bitch is gonna kill us, Lee” Anna whispered. Lee chuckled in response; whatever was left of her bravado vanished after that short bout. His chuckling only annoyed her, though. “What? You think this is funny?”

“Calm down, Anna” he responded, turning his eyes towards Kendall. “There’s a reason we were assigned to this woman, and I think I’ve figured out why.”

Anna’s eyes widened. “Really? Well what is it?”

“Are you two love birds done?” Kendall bellowed.

“Anna, I need you to cover for me” Lee continued. She nodded in response. She didn’t quite know what he had in mind, but in all the years she had known him, he had never made a wrong judgement call. As such, in spite of the situation, she trusted him fully.

Taking a deep breath and making subtle gestures with her hands, the water armour that surrounded her rapidly dissolved, and in its place was a suit of armour made of granite. What seemed to be crystals emerged from her skin. Kendall laughed. “Borrowing the strength of another elemental?” she said as she began to make arcane gestures of her own. “It didn’t save you last time, and it won’t save you now!”

The foreigner fired a stream of fire from her hands. Stretching both hands out and clasping them, Anna caused the stone and granite that surrounded her to move, instantly creating a massive boulder big enough to completely block the flames. With a forceful gesture, she sent the superheated boulder hurtling towards her opponent. 

That, of course, didn’t faze Kendall in the slightest, as with a lazy wave of her hand, the boulder shattered into pieces before it ever got to her. Then she sent the shrapnel flying back at its sender at breakneck speed. Raising her hands was all a shocked Anna could do to defend herself. Not letting up, Kendall made yet another arcane sign, and this time a torrent of water came pouring out from her hands. This time, Anna could at least raise a wall of stone to block, but she could slowly feel herself being pushed back. Kendall laughed maniacally, knowing full well that she was winning.

 _Blast it all_ said Anna mentally as she counted how many of her precious spirit contracts she was using up in this fight, just to stand a chance against her. Unfortunately, it seemed even a fourth tier Elemental Magic user aided by spirits wasn’t enough to beat a Master.

Just as her legs were about to give out, however, the pressure stopped suddenly. For the first few seconds she did nothing, convinced that it was some sort of trap. Then, slowly, as her curiosity began to overwhelm her caution, she let down her shield. What she saw took her completely off guard.

“W-What the…how did you…?” was all she could say to Lee, who was now standing on the other side of the hallway, just in front of a downed Kendall. 

“Isn’t it obvious” Lee chirped. “I teleported here and shoved her. Quite simple.”

Anna was bewildered. Lee’s skill at Spatial Magic wasn’t as great as hers. For him to teleport there like he said he did, he would have had to manually open a portal to the area right behind her and knock her down. Against a mage of Kendall’s level, that should not only be completely ineffective, but decidedly foolhardy. And yet there he was.

“W…why you…” Kendall muttered as she scrambled back to her feet, but before she could do anything, Lee ran her through with several tiny, black and red tentacles that had appeared from his left palm. “Lovely, aren’t they?” Lee quipped. “This is a combination of both Nature Magic and Alchemy. Not that you would know that, of course.”

Anna marched up to him. “Do you mind telling me what the heck you just did?”

“Of course” Lee began as Kendall began to spasm and convulse violently as the poison being injected into her began to take effect. “As you might have guessed, what I just did would never have worked on a Master.” He turned his gaze to his victim. “And that’s just it, you see. This woman isn’t really a Master rank mage.”

Lee cut Anna off before she could get anything out. “While her skill in Elemental Magic might be comparable to that of a Master, all the other Paths are woefully undeveloped.” He chuckled softly. “I don’t blame you entirely. The requirements for the ranks are wholly arbitrary, and some groups might have different standards, but the eight great Schools of Magic set these standards for a reason.”

Kendall muttered something which Anna could only guess went along the lines of “curse you” as the poison from his spell had left her completely paralyzed. She almost asked Lee how the hell he figured that out, but it soon became obvious; when she hit her with that blast of water earlier, it seemed to have hurt quite a lot, which meant that the foreign mage had not set up any magical defenses. 

Anna laughed to herself. She was a complete amateur!

“So, what do we do with her” she continued, looking at the crumpled wreck she had spent the last few minutes fighting. She fought back the urge to kick her on the face.

Lee opened a portal. “I will hold on to her for the time being.” Then, with a heave, he slung the fallen mage on his shoulder.

“What are you gonna do with her?” She asked? His smile that followed pretty much answered her question.

“In all my years of research, I’ve never been able to obtain a mage specimen” Lee responded as he stepped through the portal and into his personal workshop. “I’m almost certain my findings will be…interesting.”

Anna sighed. “All right, then. Good luck with your new lab rat. I’ll go…uh…help the other mages or something.”

As the portal closed behind him, she couldn’t help but smile. Lee was twisted, no doubt about that, but he twisted in a clearly functional and weirdly endearing way, at least to her. She would wonder what other people thought of him, but that would make it seem like she cared about the thoughts of other people. She examined the charred, ruined hallway, noting how the twisted nature of that Kendall woman- not to mention her boss- was neither functional nor endearing, and that she could not abide.

Balthazar felt stupid.

Sitting down, hiding behind a large piece of debris like a school child hiding from his strict mistress, he couldn’t help but feel stupid. The twinge of helplessness that came alongside it didn’t help matters at all, either. Behind him, he could hear Hugo sifting through the rubble her attack had created, searching for her quarry. He sighed; it was only a matter of time before he was found, and the battle would resume.

 _I don’t understand_ he said inwardly. _I’ve hit her with everything I had, and yet he’s still moving like nothing happened. Earlier I deduced that her spell was a combination of Nature and Spirit Magic, but I’m starting to think there’s more to it than just that._

Had he been paying more attention to his surroundings, he might have noticed the massive eagle that was swooping down towards him much sooner. Fortunately for him, it was still soon enough, as the eagle was knocked off its path by a strong gust of wind. Hugo shifted back to her human form just before she landed on the ground in front of Balthazar.

“You seem to be tiring, Mr. Balthazar” She remarked. The smirk on her face enraged him. “Surrender now and I will spare your life.”

Slowly, Balthazar got back on his feet. “You’re quite funny, you know that?” He raised his arms as more symbols faded in and out of existence around him. “You talk about sparing my life, when your end goal is to kill everyone in the kingdom, including me.”

“Do not deceive yourself, old man” she said as her body began to ripple. “And don’t deceive me. You could leave this place anytime you choose. You have simply chosen to stay here and protect those who are unable to leave like you.” Balthazar noted the slightest change in her tone. Was that…emotion? “I have to admit, that is quite noble of you. Though one must ask where that nobility was when you massacred the Gypsy.”

Balthazar scoffed, and a bright golden flare suddenly erupted all around him, startling Hugo. “Where it was, you say? Antheusan kindness does not extend to outsiders…or terrorists!”

In an instant, Hugo transformed into a snake; the largest snake the Antheusan had ever seen. It had to be at least a hundred feet long. She lunged at him, but was immediately met with an uppercut to the jaw by a giant stone hand erupting from the ground up. Balthazar placed both hands on the ground, and several more stone hands emerged rapidly, binding the giant snake. Then more earth was raised from the ground, forming a pyramid prison around the shapeshifter.

Of course, that wasn’t nearly enough to stop her, as she simply busted out of there in the shape of a brown bear, away from Balthazar’s direction so as not to find herself helpless in front of him…

…which was exactly what he was expecting. No sooner had she freed herself when he spontaneously appeared inches away from her. Before she could even register what had happened, he thrust both palms onto her stomach, and a glowing combination of runes erupted from that spot.

Balthazar’s spell worked by directly influencing the magical energy in his surroundings. It was mentally taxing, but it conserved his own energy and was hence more efficient. A long time ago, he had tried to find a way to directly influence the energy of other people without reaching into their minds. He eventually abandoned it, as his test subjects usually just ended up either getting badly hurt or spontaneously killed. Today, however, a spontaneous murder was just what he needed.

“Y-You!” she yelled as she shifted into her human form, her body warped and distorted uncontrollably. “What did you…do to me?!”

Balthazar said nothing, instead simply closed his eyes as the sound of her flesh distorting and roiling in response to her unstable energy grew louder and louder…

Then it stopped.

He opened his eyes to see what had happened, only to see Hugo, now in his male form, completely unharmed. Even as he was seeing it, Balthazar could not believe it. Who was this person?

Hugo chuckled. “You attempted to destabilize me by forcing my energy to change and warp, didn’t you? It’s almost like you haven’t been paying attention this whole time.” He cracked his knuckles. “There were quite a few of my people- not even mages- who possessed the ability to assume the shape of a certain animal. It was a rare trait unique to us, and was most likely the reason we were destroyed.” Then, a multicolored glow surrounded him. “Not only can i change my physical form using Nature Magic, but I can change the very nature of my magical energy and even my soul with Spirit and Arcane Magic. Change, instability, assuming different forms, these things are a part of me, always have been. It’s why I chose to theme my Magecraft around shapeshifting, and it is why you cannot defeat me!” He began to change once again, but this time, Balthazar could not tell which animal he was changing into. Instead, he simply grew, and grew, and grew. His skin became dark as coal. His hair turned into a multitude of snakes that spat fire. His fingers, too, turned to snakes, each one the length of three dinner tables placed end to end. Even his lower body had become serpentine. Two massive, bat-like wings sprouted from his back, and an extra set of arms emerged just below his normal ones. Balthazar had to move out of the way, as the library courtyard, as big as it was, could not hold the full size of the creature that stood before him now.

 **I would have loved to continue our little game** Hugo said, his now monstrously deep and distorted voice causing the air itself to tremble. **However, time is running short. The destruction of Antheusa is almost at hand, and I don’t exactly want to be here when it all goes down!**

Just as he was continuing his speech, a blinding pillar of light descended to the ground a great distance away from where they were, catching both their attentions. There was no mistaking what had caused that. **It would seem like they’re finishing things up there** Hugo continued. Then, with a massive flap of his wings so strong it actually knocked the other man down, he took to the sky. **I think it’s time we finished up here! Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Balthazar!?**

Slowly, Balthazar got up as he saw the flying monster circling in the air, that feeling of helplessness growing in his gut. For the first time in forever, he was not completely sure what how to proceed. His opponent had taken everything he had and more, and was still swinging like it was nothing. He had come to the realization that he was facing an enemy he could not defeat.

He didn’t have the time to continue his self-reflection, unfortunately, as he was now staring down a ball of fire larger than the library, and it was in the snake hands of Hugo. Balthazar tensed. That fireball, if it hit, would level the entire library; countless precious tomes, diaries and textbooks, not to mention the children in the basement.

 **DIE!** Hugo yelled, then launched the flaming sphere at him.

Without wasting a beat, the librarian opened a portal; the biggest portal he had ever opened, large enough to envelope the whole library, a portal that led to a dimension of void. The ball, aimed straight at the library, went right in.

Hugo growled. **So, you managed to block it. Not to worry**. He smiled, then from his mouth, along with the mouths of all the giant snakes that comprised his being, came streams of fire that coalesced into one gigantic fireball, even bigger than the last one.

Balthazar placed his hands on his knees. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling over. That portal had taken so much out of him all at once. He looked up at the massive ball of fire taking shape before him. _How did a non-Archmage obtain that amount of energy?_ He mused. Perhaps it was part of his transformation, or it was another special trait of his. Either way, it didn’t matter, because now he had a plan…a bad one, but one nonetheless.

Hugo fired, and Balthazar created a portal, this one completely shattering his previous record. The ball went in, as before, but this time it didn’t stop there.

It was faint, at first, but now Hugo could feel it; the pull. The portal was pulling him towards it, and while it started off weak, it was gradually gaining strength. Hugo let out a deafening roar. **You intend to send me out of this world!?**

Balthazar smirked. If he couldn’t beat him, he could at least banish him to the furthest reaches of reality. Actually forcing an object into a portal in this manner was unbelievably taxing, but he had no real choice at the moment, so here he was.

Hugo went ballistic, firing everything from fire to lightning at the portal, hoping to destabilize it. Upon realizing it wasn’t working, he tried flying away. But the portal's pull was strong, and Hugo slowly found himself inching closer and closer to the portal that led to who knew where.

Then Balthazar faltered. For a split second, he felt his body give. It was only for a split second, but it was enough to convey the warning; he had reached his limit.

But he couldn’t back down. Not now. Not while he was at the cusp of victory. Gritting his teeth and digging his feet in, he doubled down on the effort, the portal's pull doubling in response. Hugo roars shook the earth, the furious beating of his wings toppled trees, but Balthazar would not let up even for a moment, until at last his opponent was on the other side of the portal. Then, with a furious clap, the portal closed, sending forth a shockwave that shattered every window in five city blocks, but strangely enough left both the library and its librarian completely unharmed.

“Holy hell” said Anna once she appeared on the scene via teleportation. She turned to Balthazar, who was standing still in front of the library. “That must have been some fight, judging from all this. Anyways, Lee and I are done with ours…she's still alive, but Lee’s got her all sedated or whatever. By the way, where is the other guy?”

When Balthazar didn’t respond at all, concern blossomed in her chest. “Hey, Balthazar, you okay?” She moved closer to him to get a closer look at him. Then, like a felled tree, he tipped over and landed flat on his face, his glasses and hat falling off in the process. 

_Please don’t be dead please don’t be dead please don’t be dead_ she chanted over and over as she rushed towards him, carefully looking at his vitals. He was breathing, but barely, and his skin was white. He had used up every last ounce of magical energy in him and was now in a potentially fatal state known colloquially as the Soul Freezing. Cradling him in her arms, she teleported away. Hopefully she could get help for him before it was too late.

Lord Zerastra felt it. He felt the strands of twisted fate unraveling, and he smiled. With a flourish, he stood up, and after his particularly long silence, this undoubtedly caught the eyes of everyone in the room.

“You’ve done it?” Moriah asked. He nodded in response. She gave a sigh of relief; with him now able to join the fray, the conflict would be over soon.

The four children were relieved as well; for one, they could finally rest easy knowing that Zerastra could now defend them, regardless of how bittersweet that felt now. Secondly, they could finally leave this dreary place.

“Does that mean we can go home now?” Finn asked with subdued excitement, which was rather unusual for him.

“Not yet” the Archmage responded. “Thanks to the other mages, some semblance of peace has been restored, but Antheusa will never be safe until Hephzibah is destroyed.” He turned to Moriah. “Watch the children, will you?” She nodded silently.

“Before I leave, I’d like to ask you all a question.” He was referring to the children. “How exactly did you find out about her plan?”

George, Edward and Finn did nothing but give each other silent looks. They all knew the answer to that question, but none of them were quite eager to answer. Thankfully, Lora decided to speak up; had any of them answered, they would have just said it was Lora anyways.

“She told me” she said. “Then I told the others.”

Zerastra raised an eyebrow. “She told you? Just like that?”

“Yes.” Lora gulped. Why am I so nervous? She thought.

“Excuse me, Lord Zerastra” Moriah chimed in “but I really think you should get going…”

“You know something” Zerastra continued, completely ignoring the other mage “I don’t think you’re being entirely honest with me.”

Lora flinched. “What do you mean?”

Zerastra was about to say something else, but he reconsidered, taking into account the time limit he was under. “Never mind” he said, then wordlessly opened a portal to the city.

“I wonder why she decided to tell you her plan, with full knowledge of how counterintuitive it was.” Lora did not know what to make of his words. “Perhaps she figured we already knew and there was no point in hiding it. Perhaps she was expecting you to spread the word and cause a panic.” He looked her straight in the eye for this next part. “Or perhaps she saw something in you. Something…that was also in herself.”

Lora paled. Even her friends could see just how uncomfortable his words made her. Zerastra chuckled. “We’ll have this discussion in full, another time, Lora Blackhound.”

In spite of herself, this place, the vast subterranean tunnel that led to the Wellspring, made Hephzibah nostalgic.

She could clearly remember the first- and only- time she was here, and that was the day it began operating for the first time. Only a select few teachers and nobles, herself including, were allowed to actually see the massive machine that, in the words of the noble who funded the project, would revolutionize the Antheusan way of life. Other people gave their own speeches about the thing that day, none of which really mattered to her. None except one. The then assistant Head of the School’s magitech department, one Nikolas. His speech was barely coherent, but she could hear past that. She heard past the mumbling and heard the sheer, overwhelming passion in his voice, and it amazed her. She spoke to him personally afterwards, upon which he revealed that he had practically designed the thing from scratch. The Wellspring was, in a sense, his muse. A small picture of his ultimate vision for Antheusa's future, and eventually the known world.

Hephzibah sighed, looking at the tiny machine in her hand; one of Nikolas’ Demiurges. His ultimate goal eventually got him kicked out of the school unceremoniously, but he had a goal, unlike her for the most part. No, her only desire was to serve and please the man who had destroyed her people, who she was too afraid to disobey or anger. But now she had a goal; to provide a home for people like her, people who had been disenfranchised, oppressed and discriminated against simply for being who they were. And she would start by destroying the oppressors, starting with the one right in front of her.

“I’ve been expecting you, Hephzibah” said Andraxes, standing right in front of the heavily warded entrance to the Wellspring.

Hephzibah chuckled; of course he knew about her plan. She could never hide much from the Archmage. “Let me guess” she said to Andraxes. “You’re here to stop me?”

“It isn’t obvious enough?”

She cocked her head. “Do you think you can?”

His brow furrowed. “Whether I can or can’t doesn’t matter. What matters is that I must.”

Hephzibah sighed, a deep violet aura surrounding her frame. “Of course. One more thing before we begin, though. You know Zerastra is an evil man. Yet you still work for him. Why is that?”

Andraxes closed his eyes and said nothing for quite some time. Then he spoke. “True. Lord Zerastra is morally bankrupt. His power has completely divorced him from human desires and values.” Then, all of a sudden, a golden, flame-like aura erupted from him like fumes from a volcano. “However, he brings order and stability, and that is why I serve him. However, all you bring to the table is chaos, and that is why you must be stopped!”

With that, he launched a massive stream of fire from his hands. The ground, the walls and even the ceiling was not safe from the fire. By the time he stopped, the entire tunnel was a blackened hellscape, and Hephzibah was nowhere to be found.

Andraxes steeled himself, knowing full well what was happening. He saw the walls ripple ever so slightly, the ground contorting under his feet. He smiled. She had placed him under an illusion, but she was foolish if she thought this would be enough to incapacitate him. Concentrating, focusing his mental energies like the fire of a blacksmiths forge, he found the threads of magical energy that had warped his senses.

And he burned them.

Even Hephzibah was shocked, as the fire burned away the illusion she had cast. In all her years, she had never seen anyone combine Elemental Magic and Mind Magic in that manner. Even now she struggled to comprehend what exactly he did.

“You’ve underestimated me, Hephzibah” he declared as he built up power. “There’s a reason I was chosen to stop you in Lord Zerastra's absence, and you are about to witness it first hand!”

He released another wave of fire. This time she responded with an arc of lightning from her hands. The two beams collided, causing showers of sparks that would have immolated everything in a three mile radius had they been on the surface. Hephzibah gritted her teeth as she felt herself losing this clash. Normally, lightning was superior to fire, but the sheer gap between their skill at Elemental Magic was more than enough to close the gap.

“Had enough yet?” he bellowed upon seeing he was winning. Then he stopped. _Of course she ran away again_ he said in his head, but soon enough she reappeared from the dimension she was hiding in, and with a few arcane gestures, another, larger portal appeared just above her, and out from it emerged hundred of huge purple tentacles.

Andraxes scoffed. This was a being from Pandemonium, the world she had conquered. “So you’ve brought a pet to fight for you” he jabbed. Then he assumed a stance, drew a star-shaped symbol in the air in front of him, then slammed his left palm on the ground. The star symbol appeared where his hand landed, and from it erupted a pillar of fire.

“You’re not the only one who can summon creatures!” Hephzibah took a good, long look at the creature that had been summoned from the flames; a tiny, red salamander, every bit as unassuming as any other salamander. She was far too knowledgeable to underestimate it, however, for that was the Salamandrake, an immensely powerful elemental spirit. Slowly, it opened its oversized mouth and let out a stream of white hot fire. Hephzibah, of course, warped out of reality; even with her magical defenses, an attack from that thing would have killed her instantaneously. The beast she had brought was, of course, destroyed, along with the portal it emerged from.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Andraxes boasted once she reemerged. “If all you’re going to do is run away, then stop wasting my time and leave.”

Hephzibah said nothing, instead taking in how smug and self-assured he was, completely unaware that the battle was already over. Andraxes, to his credit, was rather concerned about her silence throughout the whole thing, but he could not waver now. So with a gesture, he commanded the flames that now framed the entire tunnel to coalesce all around his opponent.

And nothing happened.

Undeterred, he tried again, and again, and again. “W-What’s going on?”

The growing uncertainty in his voice almost made Hephzibah laugh. “It would seem that you’ve lost control of the fire.”

“Nonsense” he bellowed, then gestured again. This time, the fire responded, and they coalesced- on him.

Andraxes screamed in agony, flailing frantically as he tried to disperse the fire, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t work. His mind drifted. Drifted back to a time long ago, when fire had destroyed his family, his friends, his world. A fire he started. He could actually see it now, the village burning down, people screaming and panicking just like he was. He saw a little, scrawny, naked child, the only survivor of that mishap, scramble frantically out of the place. Then, right from the corner of his eye, he saw the little Salamandrake he had summoned open its mouth.

“NOOOOOOOO!”

Looking at him now as he thrashed about in a nightmare of her own making, Hephzibah could not help but feel sorry for him. A mage of his level could detect when he was under an illusion, or whether his mind was being read, but not both at the same time. Of course, being able to cast an illusion and read a person’s mind at the same time was not something any ordinary Master could do, but she was no ordinary Master. She had dug out his deepest, darkest fear, then made it consume him completely. Even so, she was surprised at how effective it was; perhaps summoning that creature from Pandemonium helped after all.

“You fought well, Andraxes” she said as she crouched down in front of him. There was no need for him to continue suffering, so instead she would simply put him out of his misery. Placing both hands on his head, she closed her eyes and chanted, unleashing a monstrously powerful psychic assault. His body shuddered once, then all was still.

With a sigh, she got up, then released the Demiurge, designed to work even after its creator had died, from a pocket. And as it did its work of opening the gate, Andraxes left her thoughts completely.


	21. Reparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the conflict draws to a close, the fate of the Kingdom of Antheusa now rests in the hands of Zerastra and his estranged adoptive daughter. Who will come out on top?

  
The air swirled and danced around Felix as he chanted, a blood red aura rising from his body like steam. While the others went about the city causing as much mayhem as they could, he had stationed himself at the outskirts of the city, playing his own special role in his mistress’s plan. It wasn’t nearly as flashy as his cohorts, but it was far more crucial to the plan's success. This was the reason why not getting to test his mettle against the Antheusan mages was not entirely unbearable.

He paused his chanting for a moment, casting his senses far afield to try and get a feel of how things were progressing. Compared to when they started, everything was rather quiet. There were no epic clashes of Magecraft, no people running about and attacking everything in sight, and most of the fires had been put out. Felix grimaced, for only one conclusion could be drawn from the situation; all of his colleagues' fights had been concluded, most likely not in their favour.

He sighed. If they all were truly dead, then it was a great tragedy indeed. However, this was no time to mourn. They had all gone into this with full knowledge of the risks involved, and they all knew that their primary objective was not to survive, but to buy time for Lady Hephzibah to destroy the country, and they had done just that. So, saying a short prayer of thanks for their sacrifice, he resumed his work, swearing that whatever losses they had sustained, the Antheusan swine would be paid back a thousand fold.

Not too long afterwards, he felt it- the slight disturbance in the air around him…then, with a sweeping motion of his arm, defected the dozens of ice projectiles that were flying towards him. He smiled. It would seem that he was getting his fight after all.

“It’s about time one of you got here” he declared derisively as Jillian Frost approached him. “For a moment I was starting to think you had forgotten about me.”

Jillian said nothing, simply meeting his gaze with an imperious gaze of her own. That aroused his suspicion, but he kept talking nevertheless. “I liked the surprise attack you launched at me earlier. It shows just how pragmatic you are. Unfortunately, the outcome of this bout will be no different from the outcome of that attack!"

Still, Jillian said nothing. Felix frowned; what was she up to? “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Without a word, she raised both her arms above her and a brilliant blue aura enveloped her. Tiny wisps emanated from her and gathered above her, coagulating into a sphere. Then, in a brilliant flash of light, the sphere transformed instantly into a large, intricately designed spear made of ice. “Your fellows are almost all dead,” she began “and soon you will join them.”

Slowly, Jillian telekinetically aimed the spear at him, and Felix’s eyes widened in fear. He used Spatial Magic to narrowly escape the spear, which, upon hitting the ground, exploded violently, releasing waves of blue energy that instantly froze everything they came across for a square kilometer. Felix, in spite of himself, was awestruck. This was going to be a tougher ordeal than he thought.

 _She’s every bit as tough as she looks_ he said in his mind as he reappeared from a portal far away from the explosion. He was yet to receive the special order from Hephzibah, the one that would most likely be the key to this mission's success, and until then he could not afford to waste too much energy. So, clasping both hands together, he recited a special Spatial Magic protection spell around him, one that would allow him to approach the fight more comfortably.

He was just about to teleport to her location when he spotted- much to his surprise- Jillian walking towards him with three more of those spears floating around her. Felix chuckled. “Awfully aggressive, aren’t we?” he taunted. “I was just about to come over. You didn’t have to come all the way down here for little old me.”

Jillian responded by launching two of the spears directly at him, with speed even greater than before. This time, though, he was ready, and this time she was the one who had to narrowly dodge an ice spear. She had only seen it appear right from the corner of her eye, less than a second after it should have hit him. If it weren’t for her reflexes, that would have taken her head off entirely. As it stood, all it did was wound her forehead.

She stood back up, meeting his smug grin with an angry glare as blood streamed down her face. Then she heard the explosion.

“A strange spell, that is” said Felix as the second spear detonated somewhere in the city proper. “Some sort of mixture of Elemental and Alchemical Magic, I reckon.” Jillian cursed; there were no innocent people in the town, but the infrastructural damage caused by that was only marginally more tolerable. _How did he even do that?_ She mused.

“Right now you’re trying to figure out how I deflected your spell, right?” he laughed. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to figure that out by yourself.” Ignoring that verbal jab, she raised her arms once again. This time, though, instead of the ice spears, she used what seemed like some sort of weather manipulation. Felix, even through his magical defenses, could feel the temperature dropping rapidly. He could see snow falling around him, the frost forming on the grass around him, tiny puddles of water freezing unnaturally quickly. It didn’t take him any time to figure out what she was trying to do. 

“Trying to freeze me to death, are we?” Unfazed, he clasped both hands, and to Jillian’s shock, several plumes of fire appeared all around him; plumes of blue fire. “They say blue fire burns hotter than yellow” he began. “And thanks to my Mastery of Elemental Magic, I can actually create this kind of fire.” He assumed a low stance, and suddenly the fire quickened, spiraling rapidly before coalescing on his palms. “How about it, then. Your ice against my fire!”

A massive, purple orb situated in a cavernous enclave beneath which was a pool of a special solution that was made to absorb excess magical energy, suspended midair by several metal beams, surrounded by four tall obelisks stationed at each cardinal direction and a tall metal spike at its crown; such was the design of the Wellspring, the source of the capital's splendour. Hephzibah could literally feel the enormous amount of magical energy that was whizzing around in this place. She didn’t fully understand how it worked, but she knew that without whatever was regulating it, the energy would grind her and everything around her into microscopic dust.

And if put on overdrive, which was what the little creature in her hand was here to do, it would bring the same fate to everyone in the kingdom.

“Go on, little one” she whispered as she let the Demiurge fly from her hand. She watched it scuttle along the obelisks, seemingly altering the runes that were on it. Then it flitted from one beam to the next, then it began colliding with the spike repeatedly. 

For a while, nothing happened, and she began to wonder whether it was searching for something. Then she heard a hum, which grew louder and louder and louder until she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts. Arcs of electricity bounced from one beam to another and across the obelisks. The pool below began to bubble like it was being boiled, and overhead, the orb became brighter and brighter. Hephzibah smiled; it was only a matter of time now.

Then she heard the doors open, and she had to consciously restrain herself from laughing out loud once she realized who it was. “Took you long enough, father” she said as she turned around to see him.

“Awfully coy today, aren’t you” Zerastra replied, his rage obvious in his voice.

“And you seem pretty upset, father” she continued smugly. “You didn’t like the gift I left you?”

He growled. She was of course referring to Andraxes. He found his barely conscious body lying on the floor just in front of the door, and that was a huge part of the reason why he was so pissed. “You fiend” he hissed. “You’ve hurt my underlings, you’ve hurt my people, and now you want to destroy my home.” A rich golden aura flared up around him. “A quick death is far too lenient for you.”

A particularly violent arc of lightning struck the ground between them; neither of them so much as flinched. “Oh” Hephzibah emoted in mock surprise. “So now killing people you don’t like is bad?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Hephzibah sighed. “You know, for a man who’s supposed to possess great wisdom, you are remarkably blind to your own hypocrisy.” The buzzing became louder, and the general atmosphere in the room became more volatile. “It’s too late to stop the process. Of course, you and most other mages here could comfortably teleport to safety and leave everyone else to die in the process.” She took one last look at the orb. “Let this be a lesson, Lord Zerastra; what goes around comes around.”

To her mild shock, Zerastra began to chuckle. “You fool” he began. “It’s impossible to teleport in or out of this place. You will die alongside everyone else.” 

“Is that so?” she said, pacing round him. “As you said, teleportation doesn’t work here, not even to other dimensions or spatial rooms. The only way I can avoid being blown up is by going through that door.” She pointed towards Zerastra. “Of course, you won’t let me pass, and there’s no way I can simply go through you, but I’ll be damned if I don’t put up a fight. Then, when the Wellspring finally blows up, you and I will incinerate together.” She took a seat on the ground. “On the other hand, you could try stopping the explosion, try and save the kingdom…and in the process let me go free.” Even while seated, she didn’t let her guard down even a little, fully prepared to react if he chose option three. 

The orb suddenly became much brighter, and the flashes of lightning became so frequent that the both of them had to duck to avoid being hit. Zerastra grimaced. It was only a matter of time before it finally collapsed. Taking a deep breath and clasping his hands together in what looked like prayer, he made his decision.

Right before her eyes, a softly glowing, ethereal figure that looked exactly like him slowly emerged from his body like some kind of vapour. As it grew in size, so did the intensity of the light it was giving off, until it became hard to see anything else. Then, just as the orb was about to explode, it moved towards it and enveloped it like a cloth.

Hephzibah smiled as she moved towards the door. Archmages were in many ways different- and consequentially more powerful- than the average mage. One of the most important differences was their unique relationship with ambient magical energy. Whereas regular mages absorbed energy passively, Archmages could actively absorb energy from their environment, though not from other mages. And therein lay the crux of his plan; he intended to absorb all the excess magical energy by himself. She almost laughed at how completely absurd it was.

Her hand never reached the door, as she soon found unable to move an inch. Shock spread across her face as she felt herself being restrained, like she was bound by some invisible chains. It didn’t take her too long to realize what exactly was happening. 

“So, how do you find my Radiant Silver Pythons? They are quite effective, if I do say so myself.” Zerastra said mockingly as the fey spirits he was referring to made themselves visible around Hephzibah. Then he began to chant, and as he did so, strange green runes began to appear all over the walls of the room; a spatial barrier, not nearly as strong as the one that once covered the place, but strong enough that his foe would not be able to escape easily.

Hephzibah cursed silently as tremors began to radiate across the room, the orb's final warning before it finally exploded. The bastard knew that with the walls and doors crumbling, the barrier spell would come undone at any moment, so he erected a new- albeit weaker- one. Worse, these snakes seemed to be restraining her energy as well. “Hephzibah” he began. “Earlier, you said I had to choose from one of two options. Clearly you’ve forgotten the man who raised you.” He pointed a finger at her. “Once I’m through disarming this bomb of yours, I will spend the next few days taking you apart. How does that sound?”

In spite of herself, Hephzibah felt a chill run down her spine, a churning in her gut at not just his statement, but the meaning behind it. It was an emotion she hadn’t felt in a very long time; fear. True, existential fear that came from facing a foe who was infinitely better than you in almost every way.

Just as quickly as it came, however, she quashed it with her resolve. _I prepared for this_ she said to herself. _Just because he’s powerful doesn’t mean he’s invincible. Yes. He’ll go down, along with this entire kingdom._ Then, without another word, she relayed the mental command, sincerely hoping that Felix wasn’t dead yet.

“You’re rather silent” Zerastra continued. “If I were you, I would spend the last few minutes of your life taking…” A sudden shock wave knocked him off balance as the orb began to expand, nearly making him fall flat on his face. Above him, the ceiling began to crumble, with large chunks of debris crashing to the floor all around him. Cursing that minor inconvenience, he turned once again to his ex-daughter…just in time to see her disappear into a portal.

Felix clutched his left shoulder, trying vainly to halt the blood flowing from the gaping wound there. Standing just a few feet away from him was a weary but triumphant looking Jillian Frost. Everything around them for almost a square kilometer was nothing but rubble covered in ice and dotted by the occasional raging inferno. Their battle was a fierce one, but it was now clear who had the upper hand.

“I think I’ve figured out what exactly you were doing, Felix” she began. “You’re…you’re effectively creating dozens of pocket dimensions of varying sizes at a time. You can move them around in the air, and you can open and close them at will.” She scanned his face for any reaction to his statement, and upon seeing none, came to the conclusion that she was correct.

Then, without warning, she saw it. The brief flash of surprise that made itself known on his face, as if he just had a sudden premonition…or he had just seen or heard something. There was no way to tell for sure, but she had to keep her wits about her.

Then he smiled.

One of his portals opened beside him. Jillian steeled herself for what may come out, but nothing would have prepared her for what she saw next. Out of the portal came _Hephzibah_. Mildly ruffled, but otherwise fine. “Evening, Mistress” said Felix once she had fully emerged. “I hope things went smoothly down there.”

Hephzibah, much to Jillian’s relief, completely ignored her, instead keeping her gaze at the heart of the city, where the Wellspring was. If it weren’t for one of Felix’s portals, things would have ended rather badly for her. Fortunately, with that over, all she had to do was wait. “It’ll be over soon” she said quietly. 

“Is everything alright, milady?” Felix queried. Hephzibah sighed; was the uncertainty she was feeling that obvious?

“I’m fine, Felix” she said, and seeing as that non-response wouldn’t quench his worries, she decided to simply spill her heart out to him. “We’ve succeeded, right? Everything has gone according to plan. Victory is at hand…and yet…and yet I can’t help but feel that I’ve underestimated these people, that I’ve underestimated him.”

Felix grimaced. “Milady, the others…”

“I know” she responded, cutting him off. Then the ground shook suddenly beneath their feet. “Their sacrifice will not be in vain.”

In the midst of their dialogue, Jillian simply stood and watched them warily. That woman was here, alive, instead of Lord Zerastra. Had she succeeded? Was that the reason for the earthquake earlier? Had the Archmage failed?

Another violent tremor rocked the earth. “I believe it’s time for us to leave, Milady” Felix stated, placing a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off, much to his surprise. “No” she responded. “I want to see the explosion. I want to see the first seconds of destruction before I leave.” Felix was prepared to vehemently argue against that course of action, but the thought quickly died in his throat; she had a valid reason for this. He was sure.

On the horizon, Felix could see buildings sinking into the ground as the earth beneath them caved. Then from that spot came a bright purple light. He grinned. It was all over now. They had won. Antheusa would fall.

As it turned out, he got to eat his own words. Instead of a massive explosion, the entire orb was instead propelled into the sky, held by a gargantuan, ethereal being shaped like Zerastra.

“W-what is that?” Felix questioned. Jillian stood silent, just as lost as he was. Hephzibah said nothing either, but she was more concerned than confused. That was the spirit he had summoned earlier to drain all the energy. She was certain that even if the spirit and Zerastra worked together, it would not be enough. Both the spirit and Zerastra would perish, shredded to pieces by the excess magical energy, and yet here it was. _What are you up to this time_ she mused.

Not too long afterwards, who better to spontaneously appear right in front of them than Lord Zerastra himself. “This little revenge story of yours is over, Hephzibah” he declared. “Surrender immediately.”

Hephzibah chuckled. “You seem awfully confident in that spirit’s ability to take in all that energy without exploding. Did you summon an Archangel or…”

“Before you waste your breath” he interjected “I advise you take a good look at that ‘spirit’.”

She ignored him initially, but eventually she had to look at it, to at least know why it hadn’t gone off yet. As it turned out, not only did it not go off, it even seemed to be waning in strength. The purple energy that once filled the orb now seemed to pulse through the Zerastra shaped being, forming glowing vein-like lines to appear all over its body, and once all three mages saw a faint replica of the veins on the actual Zerastra's body, it became frighteningly clear what was going on.

“Unbelievable” Hephzibah gasped. Felix couldn’t even speak, instead just looking at the Archmage, then at the gigantic spirit, then back at him again and again and again. 

“He…that thing…” Jillian stammered. “That is no spirit. That’s Lord Zerastra’s _own_ _soul_ , existing outside his body, and…mutated to absolutely abnormal proportions. He turned his own soul into a spirit of its own!”

“You understand now, don’t you?” he continued as the light from the orb grew dimmer by the second. “As long as I breathe, there is no way anyone can bring harm to Antheusa.”

Felix could not believe his eyes nor his ears. Hephzibah, on the other hand, simply took a deep breath then, steeling her resolve, fired a bolt of lightning at the Archmage. Felix was mortified. “Milady, what are you doing? It’s time for us to fall back and regroup!”

“No, you go!” she yelled in response, hurling more useless spells at him. “Go back to the School of the Blue Lily. Someone has to guide the school.” He was about to protest, but he saw the look in her eyes as she turned around; it was the look he had always associated her with; that look of calm self assurance, the look of one who was absolutely certain of her victory. And he smiled, even as he opened the portal to escape, narrowly dodging an icicle from Jillian. It wasn’t over yet.

As soon as she was sure he had escaped, Hephzibah breathed a sigh of relief and ceased her useless flailing at Zerastra. Despite all the planning and precautions she took, despite the loss of all but one of her men, her plan A had failed.

 _Oh well_ she mused as Jillian bound her. _Time for plan B._

Finn stared blankly at the evening shy from the boy’s dorm's verandah, allowing the ambient sounds of heavy construction work being done throughout the capital. Two weeks after that attack from the Blue Lily mages, and both the school and the kingdom was yet to recover from it. The damage to the school itself was relatively minimal, restricted as it was to the library and the boy’s dorm, but as one of the Masters- Andraxes- was yet to fully recover, not to mention the interference of the foreign mages, the Ranking Exams were put on hold indefinitely. In fact, school activities as a whole were put on hold as most staff were busy helping out with the reconstruction. The infrastructural damage was absolutely staggering, and the Wellspring would take months to repair, but it was nothing compared to the lives that were lost.

Someone slapped him forcefully on the back, snapping him back to reality. “Ow, ow, ow” he complained as George giggled and Edward simply looked on silently. “What was that for?”

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice you were out here all by yourself” said George, taking his place beside Finn. “So Ed and I decided to come join you.”

Edward chuckled in spite of himself, but he quickly suppressed it. “Hey, Finn” he said. “Have you heard the news? The one about the mages having more freedom?”

Finn was mildly confused at first, but he soon understood what he said. As the foreigners were invited into the capital by nobles, the attack had become quite the potent lobbying point for the school to get more autonomy. Now, the school could make its own decisions without approval from the nobility, but it still needed the approval of the Crown.

“You know something Edward” Finn began as she looked out through the verandah. “These past few months have really shown me…how much of the known world…our world, we don’t know yet.”

The other two nodded solemnly. In the time they had spent in this school, they had seen things they thought they never would, had done things they thought they never could and had been to places they thought they’d never be. Most of it was good, some of it wasn’t. And yet, all three of them still felt…knew, that there was so much more to see, so much more to do and so many people and places they had never seen.

“Hey guys” Edward called. “Let’s…let’s make a vow.”

“A vow?” Finn and George queried simultaneously. “For what?”

“That no matter how much we grow, no matter what or how many things, people or places we meet along the way, that we'll remain friends forever.”

The quizzical look they were giving him made him uncomfortable. “Someone’s awfully emotional today, huh?”

They all had a good time, at least until the dorm master’s showed up. Inwardly, however, they knew the meaning behind Edward’s words, and they quietly resolved, even as they bickered, that, no matter what experiences they had going forward, no matter what sights they saw, they would remain friends.

And together, they would know what it truly meant to be a mage.


End file.
